A Future Imperfect Makoto and Minako's Journey
by ST Pika
Summary: This story takes place 1 year after Stars and focuses primarily on Makoto and Minako, who are the only Sailor Soldiers without boyfriends. The future world presented in Sailor Moon R is ever present on the two ladies minds. Chapters 1-15 are now posted!
1. Chapter 1: Reminiscing

A Future Imperfect- Makoto and Minako's Journey

Chapter 1: Reminiscing

A/N: This is my first attempt at a Sailor Moon story. I'm just posting the first chapter to see what kind of feedback I get. Areas of concern are the main idea and the flow of the story, so constructive criticism, please. If there's something wrong, please point it out without a flame. Thanks!

Keep in mind that this was not pre-read by anyone beyond the first half, so despite me looking over it, mistakes may have slipped through… also, those familiar with my form of humor should like this chapter, even if they don't know much about Sailor Moon…

Here's my disclaimer for this story, before I go any further:

I don't own any of the characters used here. The Sailor Moon series and characters are property of Naoko Takeuchi and Ranma ½ is the property of Rumiko Takahashi.

Now onto the story!

Several months have passed since the events of Sailor Stars. Winter is almost upon Japan; preparations for the Christmas season are already underway. The lightly falling snow that is filling the air fills Makoto's mind with thoughts of the future… the future that she seen a few years ago when battling the Wiseman/Doom Phantom. A future that showed only one pairing, one couple- Usagi and Mamoru. The rest of the Sailor Senshi appeared to be single… which does not bode well with Makoto at all…

Clutching a framed photo to her chest, Makoto Kino tried to control her emotions. 'Mom... Dad...'

Tears flow down her face as she relives painful memories of times gone by. The words "I'm sorry…" echo through her mind. The painful realization that they were gone forever didn't hit until the funeral and burial ceremonies. Despite what happened, Makoto made a vow to try and stay strong, to live her life as best she can.

'I know I shouldn't be doing this… but I can't help it. The possible future… could be just as painful as the present.' Makoto pauses and wipes the tears from her eyes. 'I want to fall in love, get married, start a family… can that happen? I don't like being alone…'

Makoto begins to think about the current reality… and what her situation is now. 'You've got friends, you're not alone. That's different, though, than having a male friend… a lover…'

Makoto is so lost in thought that she fails to notice the familiar sound of her doorbell chime filling the air. A few seconds pass and then Makoto hears someone knocking on her door.

"Hey Makoto! Open up! We were supposed to eat lunch together!" A voice calls from outside.

After realizing who's calling her name and remembering what time of day it is, Makoto quickly gets on her feet and walks over to the door. As she opens the door, she's greeted by a smiling Minako…

"What took you so long?"

"Oh… it was nothing… sorry to make you wait…" Makoto replies as she turns her face away.

Minako walks into the apartment and begins thinking about the way her friend is acting… 'Something's not right here… I just know it. She's not acting like her usual self…'

Makoto closes the front door and sits down on the couch. She motions her friend to sit down next to her, which she does.

"What's in the bag?" She asks, nodding at the bag in question.

"Our super special lunch of course!" Minako pauses for a moment and pulls out two Styrofoam containers. "I got one for each us…"

Minako passes one of the containers to Makoto, who peeks inside the lid. A pleasant aroma fills her nostrils as she gazes upon her friend's lunch pick… Okonomiyaki.

"I haven't had one of these in a long time…" Makoto says as she eyes the contents of the container.

"Dig in… I'm sure you're probably hungry…" Minako says as she opens her own container and begins to eat the Okonomiyaki inside…

"Where'd yah get this from?" A curious Makoto asks.

"Oh… some place I found over in the Nerima district. The cook kinda looked like you, but she had the largest spatula I'd ever seen…" Minako replies back.

"O-kay…" Is the reply back from Makoto, who honestly doesn't know what to say.

The two young ladies eat in silence, Makoto thinks about what to say to her friend… and Minako tries to figure out the situation.

The blonde is the first to finish and decides to speak her mind. "Soo… what's on your mind?"

A soft sigh escapes Makoto's lips. "A lot of things, actually… I've been thinking about the future…"

"The future… hmmm…" Minako thinks about that for a few moments. "Do you mean the future of the Sailor Soldiers or…" 

"No… the future that we saw a couple years ago… the one with Crystal Tokyo. The more I think about it… the more messed up it seems. Most of the world was… unusable. Usagi was the only one that actually had a man…"

Hearing her friend yet again reveal her desire to have a male companion, Minako nods her head. "You know what… you're right. I'm not doing very well in that department myself… and now that you mention it… that future didn't look too good, did it?"

"No…"

The two teens silently think about the problem- Makoto is the first to figure a plausible course of action.

"Why don't we go talk to Setsuna? She's supposed to be the keeper of time, right? Maybe she could give us some answers…"

Enthusiastically, Minako gets on her feet. "Good idea! She'd definitely know… and maybe we could even find out about… you know… future prospects…"

"Minako!" A slight blush creeps across the brunette's face. "It'd be nice to know that we have one… I don't want to spoil anything or change the future…"

"Oh come on… that's no fun…" Is the protest back.

Sitting back on the couch, the soldier of Thunder tries to relax. She finishes off the last of her food while Minako does the same. Both teens are thinking about the how the situation amongst the Sailor Soldiers has changed ever since that last major battle.

Elaborating on her thought, Venus explains what she thinks is happening. "I think we've kinda gone our own ways a little… everyone that has a boyfriend is really involved with them. Ami has been taking train trips up to see Urawa… they've been hitting in off pretty good."

"Yeah… that's true. There was one day where the train back was canceled… she was so embarrassed the next day…"

"She had to stay over at his place…" Minako chuckles. "I don't her mother was very pleased with that, either. As busy as she is at the hospital, that woman can notice if something is out of place very quickly… or if a certain someone isn't at home…"

"Naru and Umino are still going strong…" Makoto remembers another couple that she hasn't spoken to in a while. "After we beat the Heartsnatchers, they really got some time alone… they deserved a break…"

"Look at us…" Minako suddenly gets serious. "Talking about all these other couples… we need to work on getting some men ourselves…" 

"True…"

Eager to begin, Minako asks simply. "Soo… where do we start?"

"How about the mall?

Makoto agrees with the idea. "It's almost Christmas time… I'm sure there'd be a lot of guys walking around that we could talk to…"

"And when we get tired, we can get some dinner and check out guys while we're eating… and then… why don't we have a sleepover here? Single girls only…"

Wanting to spend more time talking about this problem, Makoto agrees. 'Even if the day is a bust, we can still talk… it's good to have close friends… people you've fought besides to the death… several times.'

Getting on her feet, Venus looks down at her friend, who appears ready to fall asleep. "Well, come on… stop moping around and let's go!"

Jupiter slowly gets on her feet and heads into her bedroom to get her coat and gloves. She pauses to take a quick look in the mirror… and then on the way out to the entrance of the apartment, she takes a glance at the picture of her parents. 'I'll always be thinking about you- always…'

The pair head over to the mall… and start walking around, scouting for guys as well as shopping bargains. In another part of the mall, another familiar couple is doing Christmas shopping…

"But Mamo-chan!"

"We've spent enough already… there has to be money leftover so we can eat dinner…" Mamoru says with a sigh. "You can't eat the clothes you just bought, can you?"

"But it's a special deal…" Usagi says while pointing at the glass display case. "Fifty percent off!"

"It's Christmas… everyone's going to be offering discounts… it'll be there if we come back in a day or two…" Is the simple logic that Mamoru brings out… but it doesn't quite hit home with Usagi.

"But…"

The best way out is the direct way, sometimes. After a few moments of thinking, a solution presents itself. "Either we eat dinner out or get more clothes- I'll leave it up to you…"

That stops Usagi dead in her tracks. 'Well, I do want to eat a nice dinner… ooh… maybe he's right…'

"Fine, dinner it is…"

"Good…" Relieved, Mamoru motions his girlfriend to sit down on a nearby bench, which she does. "I'm just trying to get you ready for the future… a queen has to know how to rule and also how to keep a budget…"

"I guess…"

"Let's find somewhere to eat…"

That comment spurs Usagi to action and she happily follows her boyfriend. The pair pass through the mall and slowly make progress towards the food court.

Scanning ahead, Mamoru 'I guess everyone's out shopping today… it's so crowded in here, we'll be lucky if we get a seat at any restaurant.'

Usagi has a similar thought. 'Wow… look at these crowds… and those lines. I'll be starving by the time we get to place an order…'

While the two look for the shortest line, Minako and Makoto walk into the food court and spot the familiar couple. Minako has an idea and immediately puts it into action…

"How about Chinese?" The now hungry Usagi says while looking at the shortest lines. Before she can get a reply back, a pair of hands grab her and pull her back…

Mamoru suffers the same fate and before he can protest, he finds himself standing next to an empty chair… and Sailor Jupiter.

"Sorry about the surprise… but seats are hard to come by…"

"Oh, it's no problem…" He says in return, breathing a sigh of relief.

Minako turns and looks at Sailor Moon. "Go ahead, sit down."

"But our food…" Is the protest back from a very hungry Usagi.

"I'll get it…" Makoto says, volunteering to take care of the food situation.

Taking out his wallet, Mamoru looks inside and takes out a 1000 yen bill. "Get us two large chicken ramen soups…"

"I'll take one of those, too…"

"I'll be right back…" Makoto heads over to the line and patiently waits for her turn to order. 'I owe Minako for lunch… she doesn't have to pay me back. Besides, we can talk with those two about our problems… maybe they know something that we don't…'

Trying to pass time, Sailor Moon starts a conversation with Minako. "I'm surprised you two are here… I thought both of you already did your Christmas shopping…"

"Oh, we did… but we're here for something else…" Is the reply back from a distracted Venus, who's head suddenly turns to scope out a passing guy…

After seeing that, both Usagi and Mamoru know why the other two were in the mall. "Looking for boyfriends?"

"Yep… you two can't be the only lucky ones…"

A modest reply from Mamoru keeps the conversation going. "Well I guess I see now that you put it that way…"

Tapping the table, an impatient Sailor Moon replies, making her response go along the same lines as her boyfriends' response. "You two will find someone, just keep on the lookout. Rei and Ami knew their boyfriends as just friends for a while before they went further…"

"I guess… but it feels like no one's noticing us… we're in the middle of high school… I thought that the uniforms we have to wear would get us some attention…" Minako admits, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Those are nice uniforms…" Tuxedo Kamen looks at Usagi. "She looks nice in hers…"

A red blush covers the face of the now embarrassed Sailor Moon. "Oh, stop that…"

Ignoring the banter between the couple, Sailor Venus continues. "Makoto and I are talented, attractive women… what's the problem with guys these days?"

Taking a moment to think, Usagi remembers something from the not too distant past that may be helpful to mention.

"Cheer up… I know you can get a boyfriend. A few years ago, you managed to keep two at the same time… until we found out they were working for the Dead Moon Circus… you can get one…"

Her boyfriend also adds a few words about Makoto. "I know Makoto thinks that a lot of boys look like her ex… but I think she's starting to grow out of that now… I haven't seen her do that in a long time…"

"Same here…" Usagi says with a nod.

After thinking about that last comment, and what was mentioned earlier involved the Dead Moon Circus, Minako feels the sudden urge to run away and cry…

"I'm sorry… I have to go and… take care of something at home…"

"Minako…" Is about all Usagi can say before the blonde rushes away from the table, tears now forming in her eyes. 'They just don't get it…'

About a minute later, Makoto returns to the table with a tray filled with bowls of steaming hot ramen. She notices that there's two empty chairs, not one…

"Where's Minako?"

"She suddenly left… and said something about going home…" Usagi says sadly, knowing that her comments may have lead her friend to do that.

"Oh…" Makoto says solemnly.

"Why don't you sit down and tell us about what's going on… from your point of view…" Mamoru says while motioning at the empty seat.

"Sure…" Jupiter sits down and passes out the food, deciding to keep the bowl she bought for her friend, so it doesn't go to waste. "Minako and I have been… a little depressed about the situation we're in… today only made things worse for me…"

Usagi, for a change, eats slowly and doesn't scarf down her food. She thinks about her two friends and is listening attentively to every word that Makoto says… the same goes for Mamoru. He has a suggestion for the young woman sitting across the table from him…

"Makoto, why don't you two spend some time with Usagi and the other girls? I'm sorry if I've taken Usagi from you two…"

Sailor Moon looks at her boyfriend and wonders what he means by that… but figures it out after Jupiter's next comment.

"Well, okay… but it's not just you two… the others have been really busy lately. It's been ages since we all got together… that was one of the concerns that Minako and I had…"

"Not having to fight evil constantly has its disadvantages… I guess we're seeing that right now… right Usagi?" Mamoru turns and look at Usagi, who finishes off her soup and places the empty bowl back on the tray.

"I think you're right… I mean I'm glad that things are normal right now… but how much normal can we handle?" Saying that last part with a giggle, Usagi tries to get her friend to smile… which she does.

"Normal… is that really us? We've all got past connections… and I guess we've got future connections… but what about the present?"

"That's a good question." Pausing for a moment, Tuxedo Kamen tries to present some valid arguments. "That future… it's not set in stone. Who knows what other challenges we'll be going against… I think we should all try and make the best out of the present. Usagi and I are here for you and Minako if you want to talk about it…"

Makoto nods her head and then speaks softly to her friends. "Then I take it you think we're all different… which I agree with. Since the day I found out I was Sailor Jupiter, I've had something new to fight for… but when there's nothing going on, I feel like my past self, before I was a Sailor Soldier. Do you two ever feel the same way?"

Moon answers first. "Hmm… life before Luna in my case… hmm… it was… ordinary. If I didn't have Mamoru here then I'd say… yes… it would feel like that. We still have each other, though… us five… friends forever."

Kamen continues that thought and tries to bring up a common point with Jupiter. "My past isn't the happiest… you know that I lost my parents in a tragic accident as well…"

Makoto lowers her head and nods silently. 'He's right… we both have the same pain, the same loss… but Usagi's right, we still have each other, no matter what's going on…'

Silence is all that is present at the table for several long moments after Mamoru's comment… and then Makoto raises her head up again and speaks.

"You're right… both of you. We should get together and talk… and keep our friendships strong. How about Saturday? Are you two doing anything?"

The couple exchange glances and then shake their heads, indicating a "no" answer.

Feeling a new burst of energy, the Soldier of Thunder stands up. "Great! I'll tell Minako. Why don't you guys come over by my place then?"

"We'll be there… do you want us to call the others?" Usagi asks, wondering if the other Soldiers would be available.

"I'll take care of it tonight… and I'll see you two later!"

While a newly enthusiastic Makoto runs towards Minako's house, her stomach full and body also full of a new happiness, the Soldier of Love enters her house and heads right to her room. The tears have stopped… but there's still something to else to do…

Slowly opening her door, Minako finds her guardian cat, Artemis, sleeping on her bed.

'Good, he's here… I may need his opinion about something in a minute…'

Totally oblivious to his charge's arrival, Artemis snoozes away… but soon feels something soft hit his body…

'Huh? What's that?'

Before he can actually say something or meow, another item hits him and soon he's buried in a pile of clothes. He hears a familiar voice a moment later…

"I found it! Let's see how this looks…"

'That's Minako all right…' Slowly, Artemis opens his eyes… and then quickly closes them. 'Wait a second… I'm in a pile of…'

Reaching a paw forward in the dark, the white cat feels denim in front of him. Slowly he realizes what's in the pile.

'Did she just take off her clothes? That's her pants in front of me… and…' Turning his head up, he can see a shirt and a sweater in the dim light.

"Hey Minako! What's with this clothes pile?"

"One second…" Minako says back sweetly.

"Geez… you could've thrown them somewhere else on the bed…"

"I was in a hurry… I'm… not feeling too good about myself right now… but I do want to talk to you about it…" Is the reply back from a troubled Minako.

"Oh… well, I'm here to help…"

"Great!"

Wriggling his way out of the clothes pile, Artemis starts looking around for his charge… and soon finds her in front of the mirror…

"Minako! What are you doing? Put on some clothes if we're going to talk…" He says while placing his paws over his nose. 'She's in her underwear… and only that…'

Saying nothing, Venus turns around and looks at her guardian. She cannot help but chuckle at his situation…

"Well, your reaction kinda answers my question…" She says before giggling.

"I don't need to see this…" Artemis says before closing his eyes, to avoid looking like a pervert. 'Something's wrong here… she's never done this on purpose before…'

Moving closer, Minako bends over and looks down at the now nervous cat. 'I better be quick, maybe a question or two…'

"Artemis… am I pretty?"

The white cat cannot help but say- "What?" back in return to that.

"Seriously… am I attractive? Makoto and I were talking earlier today… and I just don't feel good about certain things… and about me."

"You're… woah…" After opening his eyes, Artemis backs away a little from Minako, who's bending over and looking down at him. 'She's wearing white lingerie and bending over in front of me… is she trying to kill me? It's a good thing Luna isn't here…'

"You umm… look…" Trying not to stare but still keep his eyes open, Artemis looks at other things in the room and tries to focus on them.

"Go on…"

"Ummm… very nice…yeah, very nice…" The now blushing cat says back, hoping and praying that this conversation will end soon.

Tugging absently at her bra strap, Minako asks another question, unaware of what she's doing to her cat. "And I look good in this?"

Yelling his response back, Artemis has had enough of this. "Yes! Put some clothes on, please!"

Feeling slightly offended, Venus pulls away from Artemis and back steps a few paces. "Geez… I was only asking because you're a male… and I trust you. I wasn't doing this to torture you or anything…"

"Oh…"

"Yeah…" Turning around, Minako looks in the mirror and reaches for a nearby drawer. 'I guess I better put something on before he dies of embarrassment…'

"Give me a second here…"

Artemis breathes a sigh of relief after hearing that. He closes his eyes and tries to calm down as Minako grabs a shirt to wear and some sweatpants. She waits until she's dressed again before saying anything to her guardian.

"Okay… I'm dressed…"

Relieved, Artemis opens his eyes. "Whew! You scared me there, Minako…"

"I'm sorry…"

"What's wrong? Tell me… I want to help out…"

"It's just… I feel like there's something wrong with me lately…"

Wanting more clarification, Artemis poses another question. "Like what?"

"Ever since that last big battle… things have changed and that's good. It's a lot quieter around here…"

"That's true… there hasn't been any invaders or evil forces for a year now…"

"Yeah… and Rei and Ami got boyfriends…"

After hearing that, Artemis knows what the problem is. "That's true… but you'll get one. After all, you are pretty… you didn't have to umm…"

"I know…" Minako says with a soft sigh. "I just needed a male to tell me that… I'm sorry to bother you like that… this is really bugging me…"

"You don't need me to say anything… you're wonderful and any guy that doesn't realize that is an idiot…"

Resisting the urge to cry, Minako walks over and gently pats Artemis on the head. "Thanks, Artemis… I needed that…"

"You and Makoto will be fine… don't fret, okay? Be confident in you… Sailor V."

A smile forms on Minako's face. "Sailor V doesn't give up…"

"No, she doesn't…"

A loud "Bing" is heard in the distance and interrupts the conversation. Minako starts heading towards the front door. She yells out "One second…" as soon as she clears her room entrance. 'I wonder who it could be?'

"It's Makoto… with some good news…" A voice says from behind the door.

Opening the door, Venus invites her friend inside. "Come in!"

"Thanks…"

"Sooo… what's the good news?" Minako says, wanting to hear the answer right away.

Happily, Jupiter relates the information. "I talked to Usagi and Mamoru… and we're going to have a get together on Saturday… all of us, together…"

"Okay… that sounds like a good idea… but where's this gonna be at?"

"My place of course… and I was thinking, later on, we could make it girls only. I don't want to kick Mamoru out, but he is the only guy…"

Minako grins. "Hmm… girl talk… it's been a while. There's been a few incidents since the last sleepover… I'm sure he won't mind."

"As long as we have time together as a group first, it'll work. What are you doing tomorrow?"

The blonde stops and thinks about that for a moment. 'This gathering isn't till the day after tomorrow… maybe I should hang out with Makoto again…'

"Nothing really… what did you want to do?"

Makoto presents her idea. "We could give the mall a try again, maybe do a little shopping… and try forget about this, at least for a little while…"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Minako says excitedly.

"I'll come by tomorrow after nine A.M.- will you be awake?" The brunette says before gently nudging her friend with her elbow.

Wryly, Minako responds back to her friend. "Ha-ha… very funny."

"I'll call Artemis later and tell him to wake you up…"

"Get out of here!" Venus says while gently pushing her friend back towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow…"

"All right, see you later…"

The two teens part ways, both eager for the next day's activities and to talk at Saturday's get together. In another part of Tokyo, Setsuna Meioh is enjoying a hot cup of tea and some quiet time with a book… when she notices something odd…

'My garnet rod… I could've sworn it just flashed a moment ago…'

After rubbing her eyes, she notices something else is going on.

"That's weird… there's dark clouds… and Crystal Tokyo… something's not right here…" Pluto says to herself as she moves closer to the rod. Before she can get a clearer picture of the situation, however, the image suddenly disappears and everything goes back to normal.

Ominously, Setsuna makes an observation to herself about the image she just witnessed. "Something must be wrong with time… I just know it…"

To be continued in Chapter 2: The Sleepover

I hope you liked this story so far, I'm trying to go out on an original idea here… though I have to admit that I haven't read that much Sailor Moon fanfiction. In case you missed it, I made a reference to Ranma ½ near the beginning in regards to where the Okonomiyaki came from. I may have referenced Ukyo there but this not a crossover… at least at the moment. I look forward to hearing from you, the reader…


	2. Chapter 2: The Sleepover

Chapter 2: The Sleepover

This part will deal with the sleepover I talked about last chapter… but first, I want to touch on some comments I got about this past chapter.

One review talked about first names and using their sailor form "names" interchangeably. I was doing that for variety… I'm not a fan of saying "Ami" all the time… I tried mentioning her in different ways… it's something I do for all my stories. I can get why someone would be confused… but I don't want the story to be dry or be Makoto says, Makoto does, Makoto blushes, etc. I will limit the use of the character's planet- but it'll still get used on occasion. Transformations will be clearly spelled out when they do happen…

If anyone would like to preread, let me know. My two prereaders are quite busy and I'd rather not make my readers wait a week or two for a chapter when it's done… though I always want quality over quantity- there's a reason my longest running internet story will be 5 years old in six weeks.

Starting with this chapter, I will explain the backstory behind the girls that have the boyfriends, and some additional details on Moon/Kamen as well- so just hold on for the next few chapters until each girl gets her turn.

Also note that all of this was written while I was in the hospital for four days. It's definitely… different from anything I've written before.

Part A

Friday morning and afternoon has Makoto and Minako passing the time away by spending some girl time together down at the mall. Said time involved the usual; shopping, talking, flirting with some of the clerks and others males they met along the way.

After taking a lunch break, the two regroup in a winter wear boutique and get some new scarves… then head over to the dressing room with several sweaters, specifically designed to get attention…

"Well, we have the curves for these…" Minako says as she picks up the top sweater and puts it on.

"True…" Makoto says after grabbing a light green one and doing the same thing. "Even with a shirt and bra on underneath… and a jacket on top… guys can't help but notice us…"

"I like your thinking Makoto… it's being sexy without showing skin…" The blonde concedes while smoothing down the sweater and admiring her full chest.

"And we stay warm at the same time. I think it'll work…" The brunette says while making a few poses. 'This has to be one of my best ideas yet… I'm sure it'll help out… from the moment we put these on. I swear being with Minako is like having a sister… not that I know what having a sibling is like but… it's fun.'

While they're trying on the various sweaters, Minako also feels her friendship bond with Makoto grow. 'She's really helping me out, putting me ahead of her when it comes to this problem. This is what being friends is all about… helping each other out.'

Several minutes later, the young shoppers have their purchases picked out and paid for… and are out the door.

"What now?" Makoto asks while supporting several large shopping bags in one hand.

Minako chuckles. "Go home… I just have too much stuff here… never thought I'd say that…"

"Okay… I'll talk to you later then…"

"Sounds good…"

That being said, the two young ladies head off their separate ways after a full day of shopping.

The young brunette chef heads back to her apartment, where she delves into her cooking, eagerly preparing some goodies and treats for tomorrow that she knows her best friends will love…

When Minako gets back, she wants to "hop" into something else, to keep her mind focused on the positive. She finds her guardian cat waiting for her in the bedroom…

"How was your day?" After hearing several shopping bags hit the ground, he knows the answer.

"Pretty good… I had fun being out with Makoto… I even talked to a few cute guys. We got some nice winter clothes, too…"

Artemis nods his head. "Good… I told you that you could do it."

"I'm trying to keep positive… I guess this isn't a popular time of the year to be single either…"

"Hmm… as far as I've seen, you're right. Christmas is more of a couples activity here versus somewhere like the United States… same for New Years Eve, though New Years day is more of a family activity."

Minako is impressed by what she just heard. "Someone's been doing some research…"

"Of course… I like to read a lot…" The white cat says in a "matter-of-fact" tone of voice.

"Glad to hear it. You'll have two reading buddies tomorrow night…"

After thinking about that for a moment, Artemis can guess at some of what his charge is talking about.

"Okay… I know that you're going to Makoto's for this ladies only sleepover… so I'm guessing Mamoru is stopping by…"

"Yes… and your love, Luna…" The blonde says with a blink. "I can't be keeping you two apart when I'm complaining about my love problems, can I?"

Artemis's white fur barely conceals the red blush covering his face. "MINAKO!"

Slightly rebuffed by his reaction, the young lady crosses her arms and looks down sternly at her guardian cat. "What? You're just like Mamoru- you know you're going to get married eventually and have a kid so… what's the use in fighting that? Diana was very sweet… I'm sure you'll make a great father…"

"I guess…"

"I don't mean to force anything on you… I can tell them to stop by another time…"

Waving a paw, Artemis plays off her last comment. "No, no… it's fine. I'm sure there's some Sailor business we can discuss besides the usual… or unusual…"

That gets the young woman thinking for a moment. "It has been quiet for a while… but that doesn't mean that the world's out of danger…"

"Not by a long shot… the Sailor Soldiers should always be ready… even during the calm times… but Minako, I want you to be happy… not moapy and depressed…"

A warm smile forms on the young woman's face. "Thanks Artemis…"

Breathing a sigh of relief, the white cat walks out of the room and leaves his charge to her task of unpacking her new purchases. 'I'm glad she's feeling better- she was so down yesterday on life… these five young women have the whole world on their shoulders…'

In the homes of five young women, each of the inner senshi excitedly, and even anxiously prepare for their sleepover. It has been a long time since this group got together like this, so all the preparation of a major vacation went into this overnight stay.

Sleeping bags, topics of conversation, what to wear… all pass through the five young women's minds as they prepare for this, something that deep down inside, they miss, regardless of their current situation.

Over at the Tsukino house, Usagi considers herself very lucky that she's even allowed to go out at all…

'I guess since it's girls only my parents didn't even say a word against it… I'll miss my Mamo-chan, though… but at least he'll be visiting Artemis and Luna…'

Stretching on her bed, Usagi looks over at recent picture of her and her boyfriend. 'The other four… don't know what happened over here… maybe I should talk about it tomorrow. Dad freaked out… and mom did too- I can't believe that I got them won over so fast… I didn't mean to hide this for so long.'

A tear starts to fall as she recalls what could've happened but didn't. 'I'm lucky it didn't go that far… I need him… maybe more then they realize at the moment…'

After getting out her clothes bag from the closet, the young lady starts packing it up… 'Maybe I'll go over and hang out a little earlier with Makoto… if that's okay with Mom and Dad… and I can score some good food, too!'

Despite the fact that it's Friday night, Ami's mother is home and talking with her daughter at the dinner table…

"Tell me again about this… you're going by Makoto's apartment tomorrow night?"

"Yes. It's a sleepover… a 'girls night out'; I believe is the proper phrase." Ami says with a nod.

"No boys?" 

Feeling a little embarrassed about the past, Ami lowers her head. "No… not even Usagi's boyfriend will be visiting. Mom, are you still mad at me?"

"Ami… I'm not. I know you didn't do anything… but I just want you to be careful. Love is a serious thing… and…" Looking up at her daughter, she continues. "I haven't even met him yet- I need to talk to him and get to know him before I can be more relaxed about this. You are my only child after all… and being seventeen doesn't make you an adult."

"Yes…" Silently, Ami continues eating her dinner, though feeling a little better after her mom's last statement. 'She isn't mad… and she just wants to meet him. That's okay with me…'

"You should invite him over… I may be able to switch my schedule next weekend to have Friday or Saturday open."

This gets Ami's attention. "I'll call him and ask… I think he wants to meet you…"

"I'm looking forward to meeting this smart young man you've been talking about, Urawa is his name?"

"Urawa Ryo… I met him for the first time three years ago…" A nodding Ami replies. 'Not too long after I found out I was Sailor Mercury…'

A beeping sound is heard a moment later… both women know what's about to happen.

Looking down at her pager, the older Mizuno reads the message she just received before relaying the news to her daughter. "Sorry, Ami… there's an emergency and I have to get back…"

"It's okay… at least we got to eat most of dinner together…"

Seeing the slight sadness in her daughter's face, Ami's mother has an idea. "Sunday night… we'll go out, okay?"

"Sure!" Ami says, her mood instantly better.

Standing up, Ami's mom grabs her purse and keys. "Okay, see you tomorrow morning… this could be an all-nighter…"

"I know… see you in the morning…" Ami says while waving her mother goodbye. 'Time to make a phone call… and then prepare for tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it… a lot…'

Over at the shrine where Rei lives, things are going smoothly… except for a few details.

"I told you I'm sorry… but this is the only night we could do this. Let's go out on Sunday, okay?" Rei says while trying to restrain her temper.

"It's… it's…" Yuuichiro takes a deep breath. "I'll call and see what I can do… change the reservation or something…"

Rei walks over to Yuuichiro and gives him a hug. "I know you spent a lot of money to even get us a chance of eating in that new restaurant, I had heard it was sold out for weeks. I do appreciate the effort- but the girls really need me, especially Makoto and Minako- they've been really down lately."

Yuuichiro looks down into the raven-haired girl's face, the one that he fell in love with several years ago…

"Okay… but try and give me some more notice next time. Your grandpa lent me some of the money for this… and I had to really bust my ass around here to earn that extra yen…"

"Sure… but one more question…" Rei says with a grin.

"And what's that?" Is the reply back from a hesitant Yuuichiro… part of him doesn't even want to know what his girlfriend could be thinking.

"What's for dinner tonight? I thought it was your turn to make it…"

That comment gets Rei's boyfriend going. "HEY! Rei! After all I…"

Rei winks. "Just kidding… it's my turn. Grandpa will be around shortly… so you'd better help me or else he'll be plaguing you with questions… just like last night."

Shaking his head, Yuuichiro can only say a few words. "I swear, you're a tease sometimes…"

Taking his hand, Rei starts pulling from the temple mediation room towards the kitchen area of the shrine. "Sometimes…"

Hostess of the weekend, Makoto Kino spends her dinner scratching down notes and making a grocery list for the next days' activities…

"Let's see… I need something for lunch tomorrow. I just know someone's going to come over early… so maybe some mini-sandwiches. All of us will be here for dinner, so it has to be large…"

Taking the pencil into her hand. Makoto taps the lead on the counter. "I don't want to be in the kitchen all day… maybe some ramen with some chicken and some extra spices. Dessert… a chocolate cake- extra large. Usagi sure can eat… but not gain more a half a gram. I don't know how she does it…"

Satisfied with her list, the brunette finishes her dinner and cleans up. Tidying up the apartment is the next task, which doesn't take long. Chairs get moved into position in front of the television, a large open area is left in the center of the front room, with space for five sleeping bags.

'I wonder if I'll need that bottle again…' Makoto thinks while a large smirk forms on her face. 'Truth or dare…'

A phone call interrupts the apartment changing process… and after it's done, the young chef knows that she'll have some company tomorrow around lunchtime.

"Well, there's at least two for lunch… I had a feeling she'd call me. At least we can talk a little before the others come over… figure out some questions to ask Ami, Rei, and Usagi. Each one got their guy in a different way…"

Delving back into her preparations, Makoto tries to tune out the problem her and Minako have been dealing with lately- knowing that help will have to wait until the next day. A quick glance at the picture of her parents helps focus her mind… on continuing the fight for a better future- whether it be for the world or for herself.

The little details in the kitchen and front room are reoriented to create the perfect setting and with the clock ticking ever later, the young brunette grabs her jacket and list heads out to the local supermarket, knowing that the lines will be decreasing now that post-dinner rush is over. 'Who knows… maybe there'll be someone at the market… keep your options open, Makoto…'

In another part of Tokyo, Setsuna Meioh sips on some evening tea and watches some television, in order to take a break from yesterdays' mystery… when her rod suddenly shakes… and shows a vision of a chocolate cake.

"Okay… that's unusual…"

Moving closer, Setsuna takes a better look at her rod and rubs her eyes, just to make sure. 'Chocolate cake? I wonder what's going on here… I've never seen any food in it before, only people…'

Scratching her forehead, the guardian of time tries to figure it out. 'Cake… cake… okay… is this the new enemy? No… it's gotta be something else…'

Pluto steps back and takes another look at her tea. 'I didn't have anything to drink… so…'

Rubbing her head, the Soldier of Time tries to make sense of what she's seeing. "I hope that Haruka and Michiru aren't playing a joke on me…" She mumbles softly before seeing the cake slowly disappear into mist…

"I'll have to call the others over for this… something's not right here. My rod is supposed to show the future… not someone's culinary creation…" Setsuna says to herself while shaking her head.

Several minutes later, across town, the sound of two women laughing can be heard…

"You're serious? A cake?" Haruka says after controlling her laughter… at least for the moment.

"Chocolate cake love," Michiru added.

"Right... so when does this menace threaten Crystal Tokyo and how do we go about locating much lest removing it?"

"By eating it!" Hotaru adds happily.

Feeling frustrated, Setsuna narrowly avoids yelling back into the phone. "Damn it, I'm serious! I saw a chocolate cake in my garnet rod!"

"Maybe we could get Usagi out there… she'd be able to take it out by herself…" Uranus says with a wide grin. After hearing that, both Hotaru and Michiru break out in laughter, knowing quite well Usagi's snack habits.

Hotaru takes the phone and says: "Is Setsuna momma just hungry?"

"Or she's pregnant..." Ribbed Haruka while snickering, her voice is practically dripping with sarcasm, while on the other end of the line, Setsuna has developed a nervous tick in her left eyebrow.

'These three can't be serious for even one minute…!'

Michiru turns to talk to Hotaru, changing her tone to a more serious, stern one. "Hotaru, please you're a respectable young lady now… you're in high school after all."

"Yes, I know… but it's… funny…" Is the reply back. "I'm sorry…"

Setsuna's voice interrupts the moment, being heard clearly even some distance from the phone receiver. "Hey! I am NOT pregnant!"

"What you do on your time isn't any of our business…" Uranus says while trying to get herself to ask a few other questions that are in her mind.

"HARUKA! That's enough…"

A gentle pat on the shoulder stops a possible response from Haruka to that. "Let's get serious about this…" Michiru says while trying to focus.

"It's about time someone's going to listen…" A relieved Setsuna says into the phone. "I'll come over…"

"Okay… we'll be waiting for you. But, can I ask you to pick up something on the way over?"

After a slight shrug, the Soldier of Time asks: "Okay, what do you need?"

"Get us some milk to go with that cake you're bringing over to show us…"

A click is heard and the phone goes dead. 'And just when I thought she was actually being serious with me… oh well, time to go…'

After grabbing her jacket to guard against the cool night air, Setsuna heads out, rod in hand. 'Maybe I should get some milk… just to mess with those three. I hope this vision will come back, though… it'd be good to get some more details.'

By the time Pluto arrives, the other three outers have calmed down and composed themselves… or so they hope. Getting Setsuna mad… is NOT a good idea, especially when she can deal with time itself.

"I'll get the door…" Michiru says after hearing several knocks on the entrance to the apartment. She opens the door and Setsuna walks right in, not even saying a word…

Seeing the carton of milk in Setsuna's possession, Haruka cannot help but ask one question. "I see you brought the milk… but where's this cake you're talking about?"

Heading for the nearest chair, Setsuna decides to cut to the chase. "Close the door Michiru…"

"Okay… I know you aren't joking… but can you make that vision appear again? Honestly… you've gotten me… curious…"

"I want to see this…" Hotaru says while trying to restrain her enthusiasm.

"Turn off the light… and I'll see what I can do…"

Silently, the young Sailor Saturn obeys and sits back down. Setsuna focuses on the rod… and the future…

'Garnet rod… show me the future… show me that same vision as before…'

Slowly, the rod starts glowing… and an orb the size of a basketball forms at the end. All four women's eyes are transfixed on the orb… especially when an image slowly starts to form in the center.

'Something is happening… I'm starting to see it…' Setsuna says while the cake begins to form again. 'Yes… I was right… there it is…'

Ten seconds later, an image of a large chocolate cake appears in its fully glory in the center of the orb… but only adds to the confusion felt by the other three outers.

"Well, there it is… I'm sorry we doubted you…" Haruka says with a shrug. "But what does it mean?"

"Frankly, I haven't a clue."

A loud thud was heard and Setsuna looked at the blonde. "That must have hurt…" She stated calmly as the girls face was planted firmly into the carpet.

"That's not very elegant love," Michiru added as Hotaru giggled.

Getting back on her feet, Haruka takes a closer look at the orb, which is still holding its shape and intensity. "Your rod… predicts the future, right?"

Setsuna nods. "Yes…"

"But why is there cake? Unless it's cake from Crystal Tokyo… a plot of some sort? I swear, we never get a break…" Uranus says with a sigh.

"Wait a second… I just saw something!" Hotaru says while pointing at the orb. "Looks like a knife!"

Not knowing what to expect, the four take a step back… and then breath a sigh of relief.

"Okay… it got cut into five pieces… that's all…" Haruka says while scratching her chin.

The image starts to fade away… and just like before, becomes hazy before disappearing completely. Four stunned women stand motionless for several seconds after that, trying to figure out some way of explaining this very… unusual experience.

"Well, that's it… but the part with the knife is new…" Setsuna concedes. "Something's going to happen in the future… but it doesn't look threatening. Just because we haven't seen something like this before… doesn't mean it'll be bad."

"Good point. I think we should be on guard, though…" The blonde says with a smirk.

"I agree. If you three see or hear anything out of the ordinary… tell me. I hope this is a vision of something happy for once… and not some end of the world event like we normally see…"

Michiru slowly nods her head. "I do hope you're right, Setsuna…"

"So do I…"

End Part A- 2 omake's follow and then it's time for part B.

Omake #1:

Haruka looked at the glowing orb and had a thoughtful moment. "Hey Setsuna?"

"What now?" the Senshi of time asked, feeling a little irritated.

"Does this thing get HBO?"

"Wha... DEAD SCREAM!"

"AHH!!!! I'M SORRY!"

"Not yet you're not! DEAD SCREAM!"

Omake #2:

"Wait a second… I just saw something!" Hotaru says while pointing at the orb. "Looks like a knife!"

A vision of OJ Simpson simply shrugs his shoulders. "Cake anyone?"

Sorry for the cheap stab there, folks… I just put two and two together… that hospital stay messed me up/sparked my creativity in a way I've never had before.

Part B

Saturday afternoon

Just after finishing her lunch, Makoto hears a knock on her door. 'I bet it's Minako… she said she'd be over early…'

A few moments later, Makoto opens the door and finds two blondes standing on her doorstep, not one…

"I wasn't expecting both of you…"

"Sorry…" Usagi bows apologetically. "I forgot to call you and let you know I was coming by early… I was just so excited after my parents allows me to come to the sleepover... I kind of left a bit early.

"I'm sure you have some extra food to feed Usagi here… and I'm a little hungry myself…" Minako says while rubbing her stomach.

"Come on in… I've got plenty of food." Makoto says with a smile.

The newly arrived pair walk inside and take off their shoes before heading into the kitchen, where Usagi notices the half eaten sandwich on the counter…

"Mmm… that looks good!"

Noticing that Usagi is staring at her sandwich, Jupiter asks: "Want me to make you two some lunch?

Minako is the first to reply back. "We can do it… you've already done enough work for tonight… and you're the host, so we should help you out where we can…"

"Yeah, it's no big deal… finish your lunch…" Usagi says with a nod.

"Well, okay…" Returning to her sandwich, Makoto watches her two friends make their lunch. 'Maybe we could play some video games together… and talk. I can't wait until everyone else comes by… tonight's going to be fun!'

The three girls eat lunch together and talk. Usagi asks about the shopping trip at the mall and how it went…

"It was pretty fun… Minako and I got some nice clothes, especially those sweaters…"

"Yeah… in fact, I'm wearing one of them now…" Taking a deep breath, Minako makes her chest seem even bigger, drawing a puzzled look from Usagi… and causing Makoto to start laughing.

"What's so funny? I don't get it…"

Calming down a little, Jupiter replies back: "It's just an inside joke…"

Being the curious one, Usagi wants to know more. "Oh… do you mind telling me about it?"

The other two girls exchange glances and then nod, signaling to each other a "yes" response. Venus decides to explain it to her friend.

"Well, Makoto came up with this idea… of using sweaters like this one to show off bodies and look, you know, sexy…"

"I see…" Usagi thinks about it for a moment and then smiles. "Maybe I should get some too, to flirt with Mamo-chan a little…"

The other two girls start laughing. "You do that all the time… at least lately…" Is the reply from the blonde.

"Well, now that he's okay with my folks… I feel more comfortable doing that… we're destined to be together, so I'm going with my feelings…" Usagi says with a firm nod.

After hearing that comment from her friend, Makoto decides to tease her friend a little. 'If that's true, I wonder if they're moving past the hugging/kissing stage…'

"Usagi, if you want, we'll take you over to that store… since you're getting pretty serious about Mamoru…"

"Sure… but it's not that serious…" Usagi stops herself from saying "yet"… but her two friends know she was about to say more but didn't.

Minako puts a hand on her friends' shoulder. "That doesn't matter. You could always save it for the future… you do have the figure for the sweater after all…"

That comment gets a very extreme non-vocal response from the other blonde. Her face turns very red and she turns her face away.

"You're just saying that… I can't compare to you two…"

"No, we're your friends; we're not going to lie. We'll help you out… but you have to help us. To tell you the truth…" Makoto takes a deep breath and prepares to admit something aloud that she was keeping inside.

"I'm a little jealous of you and Mamoru…"

After hearing that, Usagi turns and looks at her friend sympathetically…

"Oh… I had no idea…"

"I kinda feel the same way too…" Minako admits, wanting to come clean as well.

Usagi contemplates what she just heard and has an idea.

"Well… why don't we have a talk… and help each other out tonight? We can have fun…"

Both Makoto and Minako smile and nod their heads. "Sounds good to me." Is the response from both young women.

Taking her sandwich in her hands, Usagi raises it like she's about to make a toast. "Here's to the future…"

"The future…" Minako says cheerily, thinking about positive things. Makoto has the opposite reaction and thinks again about the future that she witnessed several years ago… but tries to be optimistic.

'Maybe if we all put our heads together… we can figure out something… and make a change…'

The young chef finishes her lunch and makes another sandwich for Usagi, whose appetite seems healthy as ever. The three do some last minute changes to the apartment and await the arrival of the other two girls…

Ami is the next to arrive, backpack and sleeping bag on her back. Once she enters the apartment, her mood improves considerably… 'It's good to be with my friends again… maybe they can help me out tonight… if I can get the courage to bring the topic up…'

"Good timing, Ami… I'm almost ready to serve dinner…" Makoto calls out from the kitchen as her friend sets up her sleeping bag on the floor.

"That sounds good to me. Something's missing, though…" The blue haired woman turns and looks around the room… and confirms her suspicion. "Where's Rei?"

Minako answers that right away. "Hmm… she should be here. I told her six o'clock…"

A loud "Bing" is heard a moment later… signaling another arrival.

"Can someone get the door? I'm in the middle of something here…" Makoto says while turning down the heat on the stove.

"I'll get it…" Usagi says, volunteering to help out. She walks over to the door and is about to open it when she hears a familiar voice on the other side.

"I'll talk to you when I get home tomorrow… and once again, I'm sorry about dinner…"

A male voice, which Usagi recognizes as Rei's boyfriend Yuuichiro, responds back.

"No problem. Have fun, okay?"

"Sure…"

Wanting to give her boyfriend more then just a verbal apology, Rei leans in for a kiss… Usagi notices the silence and peers through the peephole.

'Aww… that's sweet… I think Rei's got a winner…'

Inside, Usagi fights a battle to either open the door or yell out something… but she decides not to interrupt the intimate moment. She steps back from the door and waits for the knock she knows is coming…

"Hey, is anyone there? It's cold out here!" Is the cry from the outside.

"Coming!"

Usagi opens the door and finds Rei standing there, her face still slightly red from the blushing she was doing just a few moments ago.

"It's about time… I'm freezing out here!" The raven-haired woman complains as she steps inside… Usagi closes the door behind her and grins.

"You do look cold, I'm sorry… you're face is all red, so I know you're telling the truth…"

"Yeah, umm… that's right…" Rei says, wondering if she was being watched earlier.

"Dinner's ready… we were waiting for you…" Makoto calls out from the kitchen.

Rei's mood instantly improves after hearing that and she takes off her coat and hangs it up. "Great, I'm starving!"

"Hey, that's my line!" Usagi protests.

The other four girls start laughing at that comment… making the young moon princess even more angry.

"Hey, I can't help it if I like to eat, okay?"

"We know…" Minako says with a smile. "That's why Makoto made an extra large cake for dessert…"

"Really?" Is the reply back from the other blonde before thinking about the dessert in question. 'That sounds yummy! Makoto's cooking is the best!'

"You guys sit down… I'll pour the soup…" The young brunette chef says happily while she takes another whiff of her latest creation. 'This smells good… I've really outdone myself this time!'

The other four young women make their way over to the kitchen and sit down at the table. As Makoto pours the soup into the bowls, Ami stands up…

"We should serve the soup… you've probably been cooking all day…"

"No, it's okay…" A wide grin forms on the chef's face. "I'm your hostess and it's no problem."

"Okay… if you insist…" Ami says before sitting back down. 'That soup smells wonderful… I wish I could cook like this…'

The air is soon filled with the smell of piping hot ramen, mixed with various spices and chicken. Makoto pours a bowl for herself and joins the others at the table…

"Dig in… there's plenty more…"

Instead of a verbal reply, Makoto hears the sounds of the others eating… and several "mmm's…" and "good…" responses.

'I'm glad they like my soup… that makes me feel good inside. I love sharing my talent with others… there has to be someone out there for Minako and me…'

Small talk goes back and forth at the table… and it isn't long before the topic of men comes up…

Minako decides to steer the topic to get more information…

"I want to hear from you three… how you got your boyfriends…" A lot of nervous giggles and blushing faces result from that comment. The table is silent for a few moments before Rei decides to speak up first.

"I guess we could…" Rei says before finishing her soup. "But we need to decide who's going first…"

"What about Jan-Ken-Pon?" Usagi suggests.

Ami nods her head. "That seems fair to me."

"Or… there's always the bottle…" Makoto says with a wink.

Rei immediately objects. "Oh, no… not that thing… I've lost too many times with that… I can't even remember how many dares you guys had me do last time…"

"That's because you didn't want to tell us the truth…" Makoto says with a shrug. "It's your own fault."

"Yeah… you should be more honest with us…" Usagi chimes in.

Rei blushes and says nothing… and tries to control her anger about being put on the spot like this.

"I am not a fan of the bottle, either…" Ami says, trying to defuse the situation.

Silently, Rei thinks about that comment. 'This is girl talk after all… and I do want to help my friends out so…'

Conceding to her friend, Mars nods her head and gives a response. "Fine… I'll talk… but we're still doing Jan-Ken-Pon to decide who's going first…"

"I'll go against you first…" Usagi says with a grin.

"Okay…"

The two girls hold out their right hands and chant "Jan… Ken… Pon!"

Looking at the final result, Ami declares the winner. "Looks like Usagi wins…"

Rei blinks and then utters a "Damn…"

"Okay… now it's Rei versus Ami…" Makoto says, wondering which one of her friends would win.

The two take a deep breath and hold out their hands. "Ready, Ami?"

"Yes"

"Jan… Ken… Pon!" The two make their picks… and then slowly open their eyes.

"Woah… I guess you get to cool off, Rei…" Minako says playfully. "Ami, you're up first…"

Still in disbelief about losing, all the blue haired girl can say is: "Me?"

"Yep… I won, Ami…" Rei says, a wide grin forming on her face. "I never did hear the whole story about how you got back in touch with Urawa anyways…"

Continuing that idea, Usagi adds another comment. "And what about the last time? You told me your mom…"

"I'll umm… talk about that last… umm…" Ami blushes.

Ami's discomfort is evident and Makoto decides to help her friend out and buy some time for her to think.

"Can you guys give me a hand? I want to get everything cleaned up before we get into anything else…"

The response from the others is an affirmative one… and Ami breathes a sigh of relief.

'I'm glad she did that… I'm a little nervous… especially about the last topic…'

The clanking of dishes is heard as the five young women clean up after dinner. It isn't long before the dishes are done and sitting in the drying rack…

"Everyone grab some soda and let's get started!" Usagi says, ready to hear to hear the full story that Ami was about to tell.

Trying to buy a few more minutes before facing one of the most difficult challenges she's faced in a while, Ami has an idea. "Shouldn't we get ready for bed… I mean this is a sleepover…"

"That's right…" Usagi says matter-of-factly. "Time to relax!"

The five girls head for their individual packs and get out their pajamas, each one a different color. Had the weather been warmer, an oversized T-shirt would have been the choice of several… but winter has a firm grip on Japan. Ami finishes changing and sits on top of her sleeping bag… thinking about her situation.

'I guess there's nothing really to hide… it's not like anything really serious happened… though it did feel good…'

"Okay… we're all ready… so whenever you're ready, Ami…" Rei says with a grin. 'I'm going second, but I'm curious about what's being going on with her and Urawa… she hasn't talked much about it…'

Ami clears her throat and prepares to tell her other friends how she reconnected with Urawa. The four girls focus on Ami and she begins…

"Well, you see... we had those tests last term and..."

The words "You've got mail" are suddenly heard from the Mercury computer, interrupting Ami's tale- causing the girl to grab it quickly while blushing.

"What's that?" Is the common response from the four young women. Ami says nothing but reads the message to herself.

Ami, I wanted to say I miss talking to you. However I want you to have fun with your friends. I hope to see you later, Love – Uwara

"Is it… your boyfriend?" Usagi says while trying to peer over Ami's shoulder.

"Umm… yes…" The blue haired girl says before closing the computer. "Now, where was I?"

Rei nudges her friend and teases her little. "I thought that was for use against the enemy…"

That comment catches Ami off guard for a moment. "Well, we haven't had any battles in about a year… so I adapted it for umm… personal use."

Placing a reassurance hand on her friends' shoulder, Rei tries to calm down Ami. "I was just joking… at least you're getting some use out of it."

"Yes…" Ami says with a nod. "I can communicate with him at anytime…"

Makoto smiles. "Good idea…"

After a slight nod, Ami continues her story. "Yes. I saw his name when the results were posted from the tests we had earlier this year- I was top ranked for my school… and our area…"

"We'd expect no less of you, Ami…" Minako says with a nod.

"When I looked at the regional results… I saw Urawa's name on the top of the list… next to mine. I hadn't talked to him in a long time so I was… curious about what he was up to…"

"Okay… that makes sense…" Rei says with a nod. "Go on…"

"We got in touch… and we met for a date over in his part of town. The restaurant was quite nice… he's a lot more… handsome… then he was before." Ami says that last part with a blush and paused to compose herself.

The other four girls say nothing, their attention focused on their friend as she continues to tell her story. Usagi grins at one point, knowing full well that she was responsible for the event just mentioned…

"Usagi, you gave him that picture, didn't you?"

"Of course… he had one of you but I figured he could use a better one…"

Ami's head lowers slightly before she responds back. "I guess… but why did it have to be a picture of me eating a hamburger? It was… embarrassing when he showed me the picture…"

"Oh… I'm sorry…" Usagi says apologetically.

"It's okay… he did several double takes when he first saw me… I noticed that he was looking down at that picture and then at me… I don't think he believed that it was me…"

"Sooo… what'd he say?" Minako asks, wanting to know why Urawa was acting like that.

"He said that I was… more beautiful then the last time that he saw me…" Ami says with a slight blush.

"Aww… how sweet…" Is the response from Makoto. "That picture was from three years ago, right?"

Ami nods her head.

Makoto continues. "I think we've all changed in one way or another… but the important thing is, we're still friends…"

Continuing her story, Ami relates how she met Urawa for their first date and the several that followed… until she gets up to the point of her last date- which the other four girls have been waiting for.

"Do you four remember that strong thunderstorm we had last Friday?"

Nodding her head, Makoto responds first. "The power was out all night… I'm lucky all of food didn't spoil…"

"Urawa and I were heading back to the train station after dinner when the storm came… we barely made it back to his apartment before the true brunt of the storm hit…"

"What about his parents?" A curious Usagi asks. "Were they home?"

Ami shakes her head. "No… they were out of town…"

"Heh. You two… alone in his apartment." Minako says with a grin.

Ami blushes and shakes her head. "It's not what you think… we decided to watch a movie together… and ended up falling asleep on the couch. After that, he made me a snack and we watched another movie… I couldn't get a hold of my mother so I had no choice but to stay…"

"I don't blame you at all…" Rei says while recalling that night in question. "It was raining cats and dogs…"

"There was a news report right before that phone call… the trains were down… that's why I called. It turned out for the best, though…"

Going off into her own world for a few moments, Ami recalls in her mind the events that happened during the movie. 'It was a romance movie… and I think he chose it on purpose. He slipped his arm around me and then… and then… my heart started to race. He moved closer… and so did I… his lips were so warm…'

After waiting several seconds, Usagi waves a hand in front of Ami's face. "Ami… Ami… are you there?"

Hearing her friends' voice snaps Ami out of her daydream about her first kiss. "Oh, sorry… I was just thinking about something, that's all."

"Was the kiss that good?" Rei asks with a grin.

"Yes…" Ami replies without realizing it. "Um…I mean… I was thinking about something else…"

The other girls notice the bright red blush on Ami's face and know the real answer.

Not wanting to tease her friend and stave off any bad feelings, Makoto adds something to her friends' last comment. "Sounds like you had fun…" Makoto says with a smile. "When's the next time you're getting together?" The other girls giggle and look at Ami…

Ami is more then happy to reveal that information, her voice is filled with anticipation. "Next weekend… my mother said that she'll have some time off of work- she wants to meet him."

"That's great- it looks like you two are making some real progress there…" Minako says with a nod. "Have you met his parents yet?"

"Yes… and they seemed quite happy with me… we are alike in many ways…"

"It looks you're happy with him… I wish I could be happy like that… but it's hard sometimes to be positive… about the future…" Makoto says, her head dipping slightly.

Realizing that her friend was thinking along the same lines, Ami brings up her thoughts on the matter. "Actually… I've been thinking about that as well… the future… and what we saw when we traveled to the 30th century…"

Minako and Makoto immediately look at their friend… and realize that they aren't alone when it comes to these things…

Raising her hand, Rei gets Ami's attention. "Me too…"

"I'm sorry..." Usagi mumbled drawing her friends' attention.

All of the girls turn and look at Usagi, the young blonde suddenly feels uncomfortable as a result of her outburst and their stares. 'Why are they looking at me like that? It's not my fault the future was like that… but still… why weren't there any other men… or children? Hmm…'

"Usagi… I've been thinking about this for a while and it seems like everyone else here has too…" The raven-haired scout admits after sighing aloud. "If you really think about it… it's kind of depressing…"

Before Makoto or Minako could respond and talk about their feelings on this, Ami responds.

"I agree with Rei… what have we been fighting for? Saving the world… only to lose most of it… and then be in a future…" Words suddenly fail the Soldier of Mercury and she lowers her head. "I want to be happy… to love someone… like Urawa…"

Across town at Michiru and Haruka's apartment, Setsuna suddenly feels her rod shake…

"Hey, something's wrong… my rod is going crazy…" She says while trying to hold the rod steady.

Hotaru points at the top of the rod. "It's glowing again? I wonder if it's going to show some more cake?" 

"Probably not…" Haruka moves closer and motions Michiru to join her in front of the rod. "Let's see what kind of vision there is this time…"

The four outer soldiers stare at the rod… but nothing appears. A wave of dizziness hits Setsuna and she falls onto the couch…

'What just happened?' Rubbing her eyes, the Senshi of time realizes that she must be dreaming… the scene now in front of her is from the future. A large ballroom is filled with people… and then a dense fog rolls in…

'Okay… is that some kind of special effect?'

Doubts begin to mount as the fog grows thicker and thicker… and suddenly from the center of the fog grew a flame that washed over the party... screams were heard... but nothing was seen... and then... silence.

Setsuna wakes up screaming and her three housemates rush over to the couch.

"What happened?" A very concerned Michiru asks as she touches Setsuna's forehead. "She's got a temperature…"

Haruka takes a better look at her friend, the Senshi of time, and notices that she's blankly staring straight ahead into nothing... she's sweating and slight trembles can be seen.

"What happened to Setsuna momma? Is she going to be okay?"

"To be honest, I don't know…" Michiru says while staring at the rod, which is currently standing erect in the center of the room, the orb still glowing and shedding an eerie light into the otherwise dark apartment…

To be continued in Chapter 3: Future Imperfect

For you reading pleasure, here's another omake…

Omake #3:

Hotaru shows up at the sleep over right after Makoto pulls the cake out of the oven and glazes it. She sees the cake. "Saturn power make up!" she suddenly shouts. "I cannot allow this to go unpunished!"

"What's that?" Usagi asks as she looks at her friend who just transformed into the Sailor of destruction before eyeing the cake wondering if she could get some cake before whatever Hotaru did could hurt it.

"In the name of the moon!" Hotaru suddenly yelled, "I slice you!"

Bringing her glaive down she neatly cut the chocolate cake in half, then again and again before standing back with a grin. "There… the menace is dealt with. Can I have a piece too?"


	3. Chapter 3: Future Imperfect

Chapter 3: Future Imperfect

Part A

After hearing Ami's confession about her feelings for Urawa and for the future, Rei decides to explain her situation.

"Well, I think it's my turn. I want to tell you guys what I want for the future…"

The other girls look at Rei and are surprised by that. 'She's been dodging this issue for so long… and now she's ready to tell us all, it seems…' is the common thought passing through the others' minds.

"It all started about nine months ago. I was working on composing some music for a festival… and I was up all night trying to get the lyrics right…" Rei says, reminiscing about the night.

"That's not hard to picture…" Ami says with a nod. "When you sink your teeth into something, you're quite dedicated… especially when it comes to music."

Rei cannot help but smile as a result of the compliment. "Thanks Ami." Closing her eyes, Rei continues telling her tale. "It turns out that I wasn't the only one up all night…"

"Oh…" Usagi says, wondering what's going to happen next. "Then what?"

"I was about to call it a night so I went to get a quick snack. Guess who I found sleeping outside of my door?"

"Let me guess- it was Yuuichiro." Makoto says, making an educated guess.

"It was…" Rei says with a nod. "I woke him up and asked him what he was doing… and he told me that he had been listening to me sing all night. All this quiet time we've had since Galaxia has opened new doors for me…"

"Having free time does help… if it was like the 'old days', then I wouldn't have had time to contact Urawa…" Ami says with a slight blush.

"Can't stop thinking about him, huh?" Makoto says playfully, causing Ami's face to turn even redder. The soldier of Mercury says nothing but reaches for her computer and starts typing in a message as Rei continues…

"He agreed to help me out… listen to my songs and give comments. I guess that's how it all started…" Rei says while a small smile forms on her face. 'Yuuichiro… I hope you're not mad at me for canceling that dinner date…'

Hearing that gets some wheels turning in Minako's mind and she cannot help but ask: "Didn't you write a song to go along with his music? I remember you mentioning something about a CD…"

"We're still working on that… I still have those connections from when I was an idol, you guys remember that, right?"

"Of course… we had to bring you back down to earth, you were so into it…" Minako says while elbowing her friend.

"I'm sure you'd have done the same thing… we all know how much you like to sing and be popular, too- Sailor V!" Rei says while elbowing back. Minako sticks out her tongue at Rei and the two keep on arguing, while the other three girls shake their heads silently.

"Something's never change…" Usagi says with a nervous chuckle.

Ami finishes her text message and sends it off to Urawa. Inside the message, she tells him about the invitation from her mother… and hopes for a "yes" reply back.

Makoto decides to break up this situation with something that everyone will like.

"How about some chocolate cake?"

All eyes turn and look at the brunette chef. "I think it's time for a break…" she says while walking into the kitchen.

Rei and Minako stop fighting and the other two girls stand up and head into the kitchen. Makoto gets the cake and starts serving it to her friends, who eagerly await tasting the culinary creation…

"Good, as always…" Usagi says between bites. "Delicious!"

Appreciating the comment, Makoto cannot help but say "Thanks!" immediately. The other three girls say nothing until they finish eating…

"Very good!"

"Great!"

"Delicious!"

"It was nothing…" Makoto says with a slight blush. With the situation back to normal, she wants to hear more about Rei and her relationship with her boyfriend and so asks her to continue, hoping to get more information about how relationships work and how to keep them going, from her friends' perspective.

"Well… we started working together and I got to talk with him a lot more then I had before. He's actually got a pretty interesting background…"

"So when did you start dating?" Usagi asks the former secretively Rei, who had never really revealed that information to her friends before.

"Hmm… I guess we started dating about six months ago. We moved from friends to something more… and I have to say, it's been pretty good ever since. I've never felt like this before- this never could've happened while we were busy fighting evil and saving the world…"

"I've never seen you so happy, Rei… you're even in a good mood sometimes…" Usagi says jokingly.

"Ha-ha, Usagi" Rei says crossly. "But… I don't want to see this end."

"So that's the issue- everything coming to an end." Ami says, speaking her mind. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know…" Usagi scratches her head. "We saw the future… we went there… and came back. Can we change it?"

Minako looks at Ami. "Can we? Is the future set… or can we all be happy?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Ami thinks about that- only one answer comes to mind.

"Let's ask Setsuna- she is the guardian of time, after all…"

"Good idea…" is the common consensus from the other four Sailor Soldiers who are curious about their fate… and whether it could be changed…"

Across town, in Haruka and Michiru's apartment, Setsuna slowly awakens from the vision she just had. Involuntarily, she shivers… and realizes that she's covered in a cold sweat.

"What happened?"

Michiru helps her friend up. "You passed out over fifteen minutes ago. About a minute after you passed out, your rod stopped glowing and fell down to the ground."

"Are you okay?" Hotaru asks while handing Setsuna a damp cloth.

"I think so… but I just saw something very disturbing…" Pluto says while taking the cloth and gently wiping the sweat off of her face.

That gets the other Outers attention immediately. "What did you see?" asks Haruka.

"It was a vision of the future… from Neo-Tokyo. I was in a ballroom… and then it went dark. There was a fog… and then a flame… and then screams and death…" Setsuna says while trying not cry. "There was so much pain… and suffering…"

"That's the future? Was this before or after the invasion by the Dark Moon?" a very confused Haruka asks.

"It was after…" Setsuna says grimly. "I'll have to look into this further… I have a really bad feeling about this."

"Maybe you should do that here… in case you get caught up in a vision again." Michiru says, worried about her friend.

"Good idea…" Setsuna says while getting on her feet. "I'll come back tomorrow afternoon then…"

Haruka gets Setsuna's coat and puts on her own. "I'll walk you home, just in case."

The two Sailor Soldiers leave and walk down the nearly empty streets, taking notice of the night sky as they head to Setsuna's apartment.

"It looks so peaceful out there…"

"Yes… but I don't think our lives will ever be completely quiet…" Setsuna adds. "It's been nice, though, having all this time off from fighting evil…"

A stiff wind begins blowing, chilling both women to the bone and causing them to quicken their pace back to the apartment.

"Damn that's cold…" Haruka says.

"Kind of like the future I saw…" Pluto says to herself softly.

The two are back inside shortly and Haruka warms up in the apartment for a few minutes before heading back. What she witnessed earlier in the evening weighs in on her mind on the walk home. 'I wonder if these bad future… includes Michiru and I? I didn't like what happened to Setsuna- something is definitely wrong…'

Back at Makoto's apartment, the cake is now gone and the girls have changed into their pajamas. All eyes are on Usagi as she prepares to tell her story and what happened last month…

Part A Omake:

Rei and Yuuichiro are playing some of their new music for the visiting Ami and Urawa…

"That was good…" Ami says while clapping her hands.

"You two make a good pair…" Urawa says while also clapping.

Rei bows slightly. "Thanks!"

"We got another song… it's not ours but we umm… changed the lyrics a little. Rei said it was perfect for you two…"

"Hmm… okay." Ami says hesitantly, not knowing whether to be happy or fearful.

Urawa settles back in his seat and Yuuichiro starts playing the song.

A/N: The song "Wake Up Little Susie" is performed by The Everly Brothers and was written by B.Byrant and F. Bryant . Copyright 1957 from Barnaby Records, Inc.

I changed "Susie" to "Ami" in the lyrics for humorous results…

Wake up little Ami, wake up 

_Wake up little Ami, wake up_

_We both been sound asleep_

_Wake up little Ami and weep_

_The movie's over, it's four o'clock and we're in trouble deep…_

Wake up little Ami, wake up 

_Wake up little Ami, wake up_

_Well… what we gonna tell your momma… what we gonna tell your pop_

_What we gonna tell our friends when they say "Ooh La La"_

Wake up little Ami, wake up 

_Wake up little Ami, wake up_

_Well I told your momma that you'd be in by ten_

_Well Ami babe it looks like we goofed again_

Wake up little Ami, wake up little Ami- we gotta go home 

_Wake up little Ami, wake up_

Wake up little Ami, wake up 

_The movie wasn't so hot_

_It didn't have much of a plot_

_We fell asleep, our goose is cooked, our reputation is shot_

_Wake up little Ami, wake up little Ami_

_Well… what we gonna tell your momma… what we gonna tell your pop_

_What we gonna tell our friends when they say "Ooh La La"_

_Wake up little Ami, wake up little Ami, wake up little Ami…_

Ami is totally red-faced after the song is done and cannot say a word. Urawa is blushing a little as well… he places a reassuring hand on Ami's shoulder.

"It's okay Ami… that kind of sounds like what happened that one time with us…" Urawa says with a nervous chuckle. "I know your friends acted the same when you told them…"

Softly, Ami agrees. "Yes… they did…"

Rei starts elbowing Yuuichiro. "See, I told you it was perfect!"

Having a sudden idea, Urawa begins grinning. "We'll have to find a song for you two…"

"We'll be waiting…" Yuuichiro says, wondering what the pair will come up with.

End Omake

I'll have to find a song for Rei and Yuuichiro for another omake… but with Ami and Urawa on the case, that shouldn't be a problem, right?

Part B

"Sooo… what did happen? You never did tell us why you were grounded Usagi…" Rei says in a teasing tone.

The other girls scoot in closer, wanting to hear every word of her reply, since she hadn't really told anyone present about it.

"Well, umm… you see…" a very nervous Usagi starts out. "I was on a date with Mamoru and… something happened…"

Usagi starts describing the scene…

Flashback to three months ago 

A date in the park… with the sun setting on the horizon, casting its red glow on the blue water of the lake. The two lovers sit on the bench and watch the sun slowly disappear… and then move in for a kiss…

A young boy happens to see them and upon seeing them, he tells his mother. The mother is shocked and as the prince and princess pull away from the kiss, instead of a wow... or that was wonderful they get... "Young lady, just WHAT do you think you are doing?"

Nearly frozen in fear, Usagi turned to see her mother and brother had been watching her. "Um... hi... mom..."

"Don't 'hi mom' me young lady! Who is this?"

"Umm…" is about all Usagi can say back.

Wanting to get the attention off of Usagi and calm the situation down, Mamoru bows apologetically. "I'm sorry… I didn't introduce myself. My name is Mamoru Chiba…"

"Sis is busted!" Shingo chimes in a moment later.

Usagi's mom stops her son right away. "Hush!"

"Oh all right…" Shingo says reluctantly.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do young lady… just because you're in high school doesn't mean that you can keep secrets like this. When you're living in my house, you have to follow my rules…" Ikuko says before taking a few deep breathes.

"Why don't we go somewhere and talk about this?" Mamoru suggests.

Liking that plan, Usagi nods her head. "Yeah, good idea…"

"Well… hmm." Ikuko thinks about it for a few moments and then makes her decision. "Fine… but I'd like to have your father's input on this as well…"

Usagi cannot help but gulp… but tries not to be afraid. 'Mamoru will be with me… so I should be fine… I hope…'

"Aww… she's getting off easy…" Shingo complains.

"And who said anyone's getting away with anything?" is the almost instant reply back. Usagi wants to say something to her brother but is too overwhelmed at the moment to do so.

Calming down a little, Ikuko address Mamoru. "Do you mind coming with us, Mister Chiba? I'd like to know more about my daughter's boyfriend…"

"It's no problem…" is the reply back, much to the relief of Usagi.

"Good. Follow me then…"

Usagi and Mamoru stand up and then follow the departing Shingo and Ikuko Tsukino back towards home. On the way, Usagi's mom asks a few preliminary questions in order to prepared for her husband and his response…

At home, Usagi nervously waits at the kitchen table with Mamoru and her mom. It's not very long before Kenji Tsukino arrives home… and is surprised to a guest at the table.

"Shingo, upstairs. This doesn't involve you…" Ikuko says while pointing at the entrance to the room.

Shingo starts slinking off towards the entrance. "Aww man… just when it was getting good…"

"Go on…"

After hearing the second command to leave, the young teen begins moving in earnest and heads upstairs to his room. 'With the amount of yelling they'll be doing, I'll hear most of it anyways…'

"So… let's get started. Honey, this young man here has been dating our daughter…"

"WHAT?" Kenji stands up and starts staring at Mamoru. "Hmm… college guy?"

"Yes sir…" Mamoru says with a nod.

"I see…" Thinking about that for a moment and realizing that his daughter is seventeen changes his reply a little. "Just how long have you two been going out?"

"Umm…" Usagi takes Mamoru's hand. "For a while…"

"When did you plan on telling us about your boyfriend? I hope it'd be before the wedding…" Ikuko says… doing her best not to be funny with that last line.

"I don't know… it just never came up…"

"NEVER CAME UP?" Kenji says while not trying to scream. "We're your parents… you're supposed to tell us about your friends… especially friends like this!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hide anything…" Tears begin flowing as Usagi covers her face with her hands. "I'm so sorry…"

Seeing their daughter's reaction softens the two parents and they pause for a moment to calm down.

"You two haven't done anything really… advanced, have you?" Kenji says while watching Mamoru, to see if he was telling the truth or not.

"No sir… we've just hugged and kissed. That's all…" Mamoru says while trying to maintain his composure. 'There's nothing to hide… but I'm still feeling nervous nonetheless…'

Turning to address his wife, Kenji inquires about her opinion. "What do you think, dear. Are they telling the truth?"

"I think so… but I'd like to hear more about you, Mister…"

"Chiba. Mamoru Chiba. I'd be more then happy to answer any questions you two may have…"

"Good. Let's get started…"

End flashback 

Usagi takes a break from telling her story to drink some soda. The other girls sit back and silently think about what happened to their best friend. 'No wonder she wasn't talking much around that time…' is the common thought passing through their heads. Usagi takes advantage of the silence and regains her composure. 'It hurts a little to talk about this… but they should know. They are my best friends after all… and this will show them that everything's not perfect in my situation, either. The way they were staring at me before made me feel uneasy. I had nothing to do with the way that future turned out…'

"Let's take a little break… who wants the last piece of cake?" Makoto says in an effort to help Usagi out.

Minako is the first one to respond to the call. "Me!"

"It's yours then…"

"I'd like some cake, too…" Rei says while eyeing the last piece of chocolate cake.

"Then split it…" Makoto says with a shrug.

The two young women head into the kitchen and start eating the last piece of cake. Ami and Makoto try to cheer Usagi up a little…

"I never knew that was the reason… it must've been hard dealing with a situation like that. I can understand how you feel about being put on the spot… I already told you about what happened to me…"

"Yeah… parents can be 'fun' to deal with sometimes, can't they?" Usagi says half-heartedly. "At least they didn't make me break up with Mamoru or anything drastic like that…"

"You stuck with it and you're still together. I envy you, Usagi." Makoto says, baring her feelings to her friend.

A grin forms on Usagi's face. "If a ditz like me can get a guy, then you have nothing to worry about. Even Rei got a boyfriend…"

"I heard that!" Rei yells back from the kitchen.

"Don't forget about me…" a blushing Ami adds.

"Of course not. I'm here for advice for you, too…" Usagi says while elbowing the young woman sitting next to her. Rei and Minako finish eating and return to the "circle" of sleeping bags.

"I'd like to hear the rest of the story… if you don't mind, Usagi…" Ami says, wanting to know how much their situations were alike.

"There's not much more to tell…" Usagi sighs aloud. "I got grounded for a month… I couldn't go out at all… I wasn't even able to make any phone calls. It's a good thing I slipped him a communicator before he left…"

"So I'm not the only one who was using Sailor technology for personal use…" Ami says with a smile. "I'm glad it helped you trough that."

"I don't know what I'd have done if I didn't have that. At least I had you guys to talk to in school… that made it bearable. I know it was hard on Mamoru, too… but we made it through."

"So your parents are cool with him being your boyfriend?" Minako asks, not really sure she heard a yes or no on that question.

"Now they are… after talking with him and setting down some ground rules. They're still a little nervous about us being together alone… but I've had him over for dinner a few times since then. I think I'm making some progress with them…" Usagi says with a happy nod.

"That's a good idea… they get to know him better and you two spend time together." Makoto acknowledges.

"I'm also doing the same thing this next weekend…" Ami says happily. "My mother has already agreed to it and I think it'll be fun."

"Go Ami!" Rei says, trying to encourage her friend. "You two are two of a kind…"

The young woman blushes again but knows in her heart that's very true. Next to her, Minako has an idea that she wants to share with the others…

"Why don't we do this every other weekend? I think it'd be fun… and you guys would still have time to spend with your guys. I want to spend more time with all of you… you know we haven't gotten together much lately at all…"

"True…" Ami concedes. "It's been a while since we've done something like this…"

"And of course, we can all fill each in on how the relationships are going… or on stuff we don't want to talk about at school…" Minako says, finishing off her idea.

"I like it… we should try and make this work out." Rei says, heartily agreeing with the idea.

"I'd be more then happy to have you guys over…" Makoto says with a smile. "It'd give me a reason to try out some new dishes and desserts…"

"I can just taste them now…" the blonde says, thinking about all of the wonderful food creations her friend has made in the past. "At least we'll be eating good that day…"

"Thanks…" Makoto says, flattered by her friends' comment. "Everyone… hold on a second… I have an idea…"

The brunette stands up and heads to her room… and returns with a camera.

"Everyone get together… let's get a picture of us. Friends forever…" Makoto says while setting up the time delay function.

"Sounds good to me…" Usagi says as she shuffles into position.

The five young women gather together just before the flash goes off, capturing the perfect picture…

In another part of the Tokyo area, however, Setsuna's night was far from perfect…

To be continued in Chapter 4: Visions

Part B Omake

The next day, Urawa and Ami return with a CD of their own to Rei's place…

"You found a song already?" Rei asks, surprised at their quickness.

"Of course… it took a little research but I think Ami and I have a winner. We reviewed all the details and came up with this song…" Urawa says proudly.

"I think it's very… Rei-like…" Ami says softly, not knowing how else to describe the song.

"Hmm… that sounds interesting. Let's put 'er in and see how she sounds…" Yuuchiro says while extending a hand out to Ami, who gives him the CD. "I can't wait to see what you guys got for us…"

Ami says nothing more as the CD gets placed in the player and the song begins…

Author note: The song "Light my Fire" is performed by the Doors. Copyright 1967 from the "The Doors" album by Eleketra Records. Song written by Robby Krieger and Jim Morrison. Note that there is a musical interlude in the middle of this song, making it over 7 minutes long. As always, I recommend finding and listening to this song yourself so you can really get into the mood of what I'm trying to bring out here.

You know that it would be untrue  
You know that I would be a liar  
If I was to say to you  
Girl, we couldn't get much higher

Come on baby, light my fire  
Come on baby, light my fire  
Try to set the night on fire

The time to hesitate is through  
No time to wallow in the mire  
Try now we can only lose  
And our love become a funeral pyre

Come on baby, light my fire  
Come on baby, light my fire  
Try to set the night on fire, yeah

The time to hesitate is through  
No time to wallow in the mire  
Try now we can only lose  
And our love become a funeral pyre

Come on baby, light my fire  
Come on baby, light my fire  
Try to set the night on fire, yeah

You know that it would be untrue  
You know that I would be a liar  
If I was to say to you  
Girl, we couldn't get much higher

Come on baby, light my fire  
Come on baby, light my fire  
Try to set the night on fire  
Try to set the night on fire  
Try to set the night on fire  
Try to set the night on fire

Ami and Urawa notice the normally vocal Rei is blushing and her boyfriend is nervously scratching the back of his neck.

"I take it you two liked the song?" Urawa says, breaking the silence.

"Umm… yeah… good one. You really got us back…" Rei says nervously.

Yuuchiro decides to show his feelings for the song. "I liked it! That's a great song! It's simple… but powerful…"

Ami decides to ask a question. "So it fits Rei?"

"Absolutely. I mean, she's always doing stuff with that fire of hers…" is the candid response back.

"But the song is about something else…" Urawa points out.

"Yeah, I know… I'd like to light her fire…"

"YUUCHIRO!" Rei yells out. "That sounds perverted you know…"

"Oh come on… it's just another name for making out…" the young man says back in his defense. "Just because we've never called it that doesn't mean…"

Ami and Urawa both say "Hmm…" before staring at the very embarrassed Rei. She's silent for a moment and then shoos Ami and Urawa out of the room.

"That's enough music for today… why don't you two find a song for Usagi and Mamoru…"

With that, the door closes and the pair are left out in the hallway, alone.

"So, now what?" Urawa asks while taking Ami's hand.

"Let's go back to my place… and do some more song searching… and maybe dance a little, like we did last night."

"You got it!" is the happy reply back.

End omake- this will be continued in the next chapter.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and the new background information I've provided. Next chapter will be even better in that regard. Feedback would be appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4: Visions

Chapter 4: Visions

Chapter 4: Visions

Thanks to Steven/DaTexn for his help with this chapter and the prereading of it. I know you the reader have been waiting so long for this new chapter so I won't keep you… enjoy!

Part A

Despite the reassurances from her friends, Setsuna was still troubled about the events of the past day… even after a few "hard" drinks. Confusion about the future is one thing the oldest Senshi had never experienced on this level before.

Wanting to take her mind off the problem for a little while, she turns on the television. A news show begins relating the events of the day while Setsuna feels herself growing more tired and soon passing out on the couch…

"I want to see the future…" the Guardian of Time calls out in front of the Gates of Time.

Slowly, the gates creak open and Setsuna watches for something, anything… only after a few minutes of total darkness does she dare move closer and closer… and steps inside…

"What is this? There's nothing here!" She screams out, feeling very much in despair

Silence greets the Senshi of time. Not even the sparkle of stars light her way, there's nothing but total void and emptiness. After walking around aimlessly for several minutes, she collapses on the ground and asks a simple question- "Why?"

No answer is forthcoming and Setsuna begins to silent weep, bemoaning the current situation and trying to make sense of it all. The grief continues… at least, until she suddenly wakes up…

"Huh? What?" Setsuna sits up on the couch and hears her phone ringing. After a brief moment of disorientation, she answers it saying, "Hello"

"Hi, it's Minako. I was wondering if Makoto and I could stop by sometime… we have some things we wanted to talk with you about…"

After hearing those two names, something is triggered inside of her. A desire to learn more about this manifests itself and Setsuna wants to find why…

"Yes, that's no problem. Stop by after your classes sometime during this week- I'll be around…"

A very enthusiastic Minako replies back almost immediately. "Sure, we'll call ahead and we'll see you soon!"

After hanging up the phone, Setsuna heads into her bathroom and dampens a towel. Wiping the cold sweat off of her face, she wonders what just happened…

'That nightmare… was too real to dismiss. I'd better take it easy for a while…'

After making some tea for herself, the Senshi of time tries to remember as much as she can from her vision, though the disturbing nature of it made it painful to remember. She retrieved a notepad and started jotting down notes about what she saw… which sadly, wasn't much. What she felt, she also jotted down and then reviewed… before notes from the previous visions were written as well.

'This is some puzzle… but I need more of the pieces. I think I'll give the future a rest for today… I'm really tapped out from that vision. Maybe Haruka and Michiru were right… maybe I should only do this with others around…'

Sipping her tea cautiously, Setsuna ponders the situation some more before giving into the desire to think about other things. She turns on the television and lets her mind focus on the shows and not the future…

The last week of school before the winter break passes by quickly, though not quickly enough for Makoto and Minako, who look forward to two things- talking to Setsuna on Friday and spending time with the other Inners on Saturday. They didn't have diversions like boyfriends to help keep their minds off the future… though the Inners with boyfriends did think about it as well. Surprisingly to some, it was Usagi who thought about it the most of the three and discussed her thoughts and feelings with Mamoru who did his best to help her out and figure out some kind of plan…

Despite having phone conversations with the other Outers everyday, it's Thursday afternoon before Setsuna has any real dealings with her friends. Hotaru stops by to see how she's doing… the pair share some tea and talk about what's going on…

"Michiru-mama says that you're not doing too good… she thinks those visions have more than cake to them…"

"You don't know the half of it…" is the reply back with a sigh. "It seems like every time I've looking into the future since then has shown me nothing…"

"Oh… that's not good. How could there be no future?" a curious Hotaru asks.

"I was looking at my own future the last few days… but all I felt was pain and saw nothing."

"Oh…" that revelation startles the young woman. "Have you umm… looked at anyone else's future, like… mine?" she asks with some hesitancy.

"No… I haven't actually. I haven't been able to figure out the other vision I had when I was over last time… same goes for the cake vision." Setsuna says while shaking her head sadly.

"I know… you could look into my future… and I'll be here to help you, in case something happens to you… you were out for a while last time. I have to know… what happens to me. You got me curious…" Hotaru says in an almost pleading manner. "Please tell me…"

Looking in her friend and fellow Senshi's eyes, she can see the desperation in her soul. 'I guess I could… she has a right to know… and I have a feeling something's wrong, anyway. It wouldn't hurt to see how the others are doing…'

"Ahem…" Setsuna clears her throat. "Okay… let's do this. Be sure and keep and eye on me… I'm not sure if I can make it visible for you to see…"

"That's fine…" a happy Hotaru says with a nod.

Slowly, Pluto closes her eyes and focuses her thoughts on the future, this time thinking about Hotaru instead of herself. Dark clouds gather as she peers into the future…

"What the hell is this?"

Lightning bolts dance across the dark horizon and it takes a few moments for Setsuna to realize where she is.

"This is Saturn in front of me… but something's not right. I've never seen it look so…"

The glowing continues to increase and energy begins shooting out in all directions from the planet… with some of the beams nearly hitting Setsuna.

"What's wrong with this planet? And where's Hotaru?" she yells out, trying to increase her focus and get closer to the planet.

The pain increases as she moves closer and increases her focus. Unawares to her, the vision is slowly becoming visible in her garnet rod, allowing Hotaru to view what's going on.

After another minute or so, she sees a familiar sight, though something appears to be wrong with her.

"Hotaru! Hotaru!"

The future Hotaru Tomoe doesn't hear her friend's call but continues to cry, the tears falling like rain. She begins talking to herself…

"I can't take it anymore… I'm so lonely… there's nothing here for me and nothing is helping…"

"No! That's not true!" Pluto calls out to no avail.

"I'm… the Senshi of destruction… so…" Saturn raises her glaive up towards the sky, causing the lightning to increase to monumental proportions. "Time to end this…"

Pluto rushes forward and tries to stop her friend from doing the unspeakable. "NOOO! DON'T!"

With a quick slice, the glaive heads down towards the planet, causing a massive explosion moments later. The guardian of time is blown back with tremendous force into space by the shockwave of the exploding planet…

"NO! She's… she's… dead…"

As the remnants of the planet disperse into space, the vision fades. Tears flow from Setsuna's eyes as her room gradually becomes visible again. She's surprised to hear crying in the background…

"No! I don't want that future!" the young Saturn says before burying her head on her friends' shoulder. "That was… so horrible…"

After blinking a few times, Setsuna regains her bearings and notices that Hotaru is crying on her shoulder. "I know it was… I'm sorry you had to see that…"

"What happened? Why did I do that?" are the two main questions on Hotaru's mind as she tries to catch her breath and stop crying.

"I have no idea… no idea. All I saw was you in pain and…"

"What kind of future is that? I'd never do that!" Hotaru says, now turning her emotions into anger.

Lowering her voice to a calming tone, Setsuna tries to reason with her friend. "Hotaru… you know that anything I see is real… but it's not set in stone…"

"All I know is that I blew myself up!" Hotaru gets on her feet. "I'm not going to do that, ever! I don't care what that rod said!"

Setsuna is taken back how upset her friend is. 'The way she is now… almost reminds me of the past… when she was Mistress Nine…'

Seeing only one way out of this conflict, the Senshi of time puts the Garnet rod down on the couch and walks towards Hotaru. The younger woman takes a step back… but stays in place after that- and soon finds herself in a hug…

"It's okay… I'm here for you…" Setsuna says softly. "We'll figure this out, okay? You're not going to die…"

"Really?" is the soft reply back.

In a near whisper, Setsuna answers the question, setting herself on a new path. "I won't let that happen to you."

"Thanks…"

Several minutes pass before either moves or says another word. The two very shaken Senshi take some time to rest before doing anything else… and when Hotaru is ready to go home, the elder Senshi walks her home, making sure that she'll be okay. Upon arriving back at Michiru and Haruka's apartment, the two part ways…

On the way back to her apartment and all the next day, Setsuna is thinking of a way to change the timeline, to prevent this tragedy from happening.

Later on Friday afternoon, Setsuna hears an energetic knock on the door and immediately knows who's there…

"Coming…"

Taking a few deep breaths, Setsuna prepares herself for what's to come. 'Here goes nothing…'

End Part A.

Begin Part B.

Opening the door, the Senshi of time puts on her best face and tries to look happy. "Nice to see you two, come on in…"

"Thanks…" Makoto says as she walks in and takes off her shoes, Minako does the same.

"I brought something over for us to eat, I hope you like chocolate cake…" a grinning Makoto says while heading towards the kitchen.

"Of course…" Setsuna says before turning to close the front door. "Wait a second, did you say chocolate cake?"

"Yeah, I'm about to cut a slice for Minako right now… did you want a piece?"

Setsuna is silent for a moment, realizing the connection between the cake and her vision from earlier in the week. She carefully formulates a question as she turns and walks into the kitchen herself.

"Did you happen to make any cake this past weekend?"

"She sure did, it was the same exact cake as this one and it was delicious!" Minako says enthusiastically, answering the question before Makoto can say a word.

That question gets the brunette curious. "Same cake… but why do you ask?"

"I… had a vision of the future and I saw your cake… it was being cut…"

"Yes, that happened… but I wonder why your Garnet Rod would focus on our sleepover… it wasn't like anything big happened there… except…" Makoto's voice drops off. "Well, we did talk about the future, come to think of it…"

"That's why we're here; we need your help…" Minako says while tugging on the sleeve of Setsuna's shirt. "We need to know what happens to us in the future… especially when it comes to boys…"

Before Setsuna can say a single word, a cold gust of wind blows in through the now wide open front door, chilling the occupants inside.

"One second Minako…" the Senshi of Time says as she walks over to the door and closes it. "Normally I wouldn't grant such a request of a personal nature like that… it's not good to know too much about one's future… but recent events have caused me to think otherwise…"

"Oh…" the two young women exclaim, wondering what she means by that.

"Let's eat some of this cake first… and then I'll show you both what you want to see… I actually had some questions about you two myself…"

That response makes the pair even more curious about what's going to happen… and what's going on with Setsuna. All three take their time enjoying the chocolate cake that Makoto made and brought over and they engage in some small talk, though not too much is said- there's too much on all three women's minds.

Finally, almost thirty minutes later, it's time to begin. Setsuna has the two sit on the couch in front of her while she sits down and makes herself comfortable in a chair.

After standing the Garnet Rod upright, she closes her eyes and then instructs the other two teens to do the same. "Focus on the rod…"

"Okay…" is the common response back from both.

The rod starts to glow and shake slightly. Setsuna tries to focus on either Minako or Makoto's future separately but is unable to do so. 'Hmm… maybe I should try to focus on all three of us together… I've felt a strong connection to both of the lately… like they're somehow involved with me in the future…'

"I'm going to try something else… just keep focused…" Setsuna says aloud as she changes her thoughts. Slowly, a vision begins forming, beginning with a heavy mist and the sounds of people's voices…

"Sounds like a party to me…" Minako says softly to herself.

"Hmm… this seems to be as far ahead as I can see… after all of our enemies are defeated…" Setsuna says, wondering what significance this scene has.

"That mist… it's beginning to clear…" Makoto says, noticing the thinning mist.

The vision suddenly becomes more focused and more emotional as the three begin to feel as well as see what's going on around them. As the details of this party become clearer, it's obvious that it's in the future, after the defeat of the Dark Moon armies. The two younger women try to focus more on the party itself while Setsuna keeps trying to look forward in her own future, to answer the question that's been nagging her so long… 'Why can't I see my future? I can't see anything ahead of this party, not a year, not hundreds of years… why can't I? No one has the power to close the gates of time but me…'

Several people from Crystal Tokyo come and go in the scene and soon a familiar face makes an appearance.

"It's Queen Serenity…" Minako says softly.

A few moments later, King Endymion appears with Chibi-Usa walking in right behind him.

"Looks like the whole family's there…" Makoto comments aloud.

Setsuna says nothing but instead continues to look over the party, searching for clues. The future Jupiter and Venus appear, though the brunette seemed to be a little different then her usual self. Makoto suddenly begins feeling weak… and cannot help but feel angry as well.

A rush of feelings overwhelms Minako as the future Sailor Pluto makes her appearance and stands near Queen Serenity.

"Something's not right here… I'm feeling really angry right now…" the blonde says, beginning to get frightened about how realistic this vision actually is.

"Same here… and I feel weak for some reason…"

A cold chill runs down Setsuna's spine after hearing that, she feels the connection between them getting even stronger, like a decision point was about to be reached involving all three of them. Subtly, the future Venus and Jupiter move closer and closer to Pluto, who is distracted by Chibi-Usa… and then it happened…

Setsuna saw the fog rolling in just as the sword was pressed into Pluto's back... by Venus. A moment later, lightning fills the room and begins stunning the onlookers…

In that moment... the Senshi of time was too surprised to attack, to save herself... everything came to an end.

Utterly horrified by what just happened, Makoto cannot say a word, her jaw dropped and her mouth wide open in shock. Minako screams as the deaths continue, the future Jupiter and Venus are now fighting with the guests and even with the Queen…

Both teens are so transfixed on what's going on that they fail to notice that the real life Setsuna has passed out and is now slumped on her chair.

"This can't be… why are we killing all these people!" Minako screams out, tears in her eyes.

"No…" After a massive lightning attack, the future Jupiter collapses to the ground and is then summarily attacked in her weakened state by others… death doesn't take long.

"You ruined it all! Now Makoto's dead… just like the rest of them… I won't take this anymore!" Sailor Venus screamed before attacking with her sword and "Love-me chain". Several more fall before her and she's about to make another charge when a barrage of roses pin her to the wall…

"Stop this now!" the future King cried out. "Have you gone mad?"

"No, it's you that's mad… you and your wife…" With much effort and pain, the Senshi of Love removes herself from the wall, blood running down her body and staining her clothes. "You'll pay for that!"

Charging forward, Sailor Venus intends to take out King Endymion, whom she also holds responsible for what's happened. Due to her weakened state, it's a mostly one sided battle that ends with a sword piercing the blonde through, putting an end to her struggles…

Both Minako and Makoto scream as the now dying Venus slumps to the ground and dies.

"I'm dead…" Minako says while trying not to tremble and cry.

"I killed people… and then was killed by the other party goers… what kind of future is this?" Makoto asks with fear and trepidation, her body trembling from the horrors it just witnessed. Tears flow from her eyes as she tries to come to grip with her own future… and impending death.

Slowly, the vision begins fading away as the two young women sob uncontrollably. The power of the rod begins diminishing and the vision soon fades away. It's several minutes before either woman opens their eyes… and when they do, they find an unconscious Setsuna, slumped in her chair…

After checking her vital signs, Makoto makes a pronouncement. "She's passed out… but otherwise seems to be okay…"

"Let's get her over on the couch…" Minako says before arranging the pillows on the couch. "I think she'll be safer there…"

After a few deep breaths, the two young women pick up Setsuna and carefully lay her down on the couch. Not sure of what to do next, the two silently look at her… and the Garnet Rod, which begins wobbling and eventually falls to the ground.

"What do we do now?" Minako asks aloud.

Remembering something from her examination a moment ago, Makoto has a partial answer. "Let's get some washcloths and soak them with some water… she has a temperature for one thing…"

"Good idea…"

The women quickly get some washcloths and soak them in water. After placing them on the unconscious Setsuna, the cooling affect begins to take hold. The Senshi of time opens her eyes and finds Makoto and Minako standing next to her, looking very concerned…

Her reflexes take hold and Setsuna's hands grab onto the couch tightly in fear…

"Are you okay?" Makoto asks softly in an effort to calm down her friend.

"You… killed me…" is about the Senshi of Time can say before closing her eyes. "What is going on here?"

A very distressed Minako responds to that question. "I didn't mean to! I swear, that looked like me… but it wasn't… it couldn't be… I'm not a killer…"

"Neither am I!" Makoto adds vehemently. "What was that… that… nightmare?"

Sitting up on the couch, Setsuna reveals the sad truth. "The Garnet Rod doesn't lie… that's going to happen…" She paused for a moment then looked into the eyes of her future killer, "In that future… you did k-kill me."

Both women slump down next to Setsuna and exclaim… "No way…" as tears begin falling from their eyes.

"Something's not right here… I knew there was a problem when I couldn't see my own future… and now I know why. I looked at Hotaru's future… she blew up Saturn and herself… suicide…"

"Hotaru did that?" Makoto can't believe what she just heard.

"I can't believe that… sweet Hotaru destroyed her own planet?" Minako says, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I'm almost afraid to look into the future again… anyone's future. I'll have to discuss this with your group and the Outers… and figure out what's going on."

"That's a good idea… why don't you call us this weekend… and let us know what you've found…" Makoto says softly. "I've gotta go home… and try to forget that nightmare…"

Minako agrees one hundred percent. "Me too…"

"You two go ahead… I'm sorry… I had no idea that was going to happen…" Setsuna says, doing her best to apologize.

"It's… not your fault…" Makoto says as she puts on her shoes.

Putting on her shoes rapidly, Minako feels a sudden urge to get away from her current location. "Call us, okay?"

"I promise I will…"

Waving "bye" to her fellow Senshi, Setsuna watches them leave and then closes her front door.

"I guess that saying is true… be careful what you wish for, you may get it. I wanted to see what my future held… and so did they. This is one messed up future we're dealing with here… and it gets worse and worse every single time I look at it. Damn it, what the hell happened? It wasn't this way before the Dark Moon invasion, so why is it like this after? There has to be some turning point, in the past, that caused this… or maybe there's several. Who knows?"

A loud sigh escapes Setsuna's lips as she heads over to her kitchen and pours herself some sake. "I need something to calm down…" she mutters while sipping the warm liquid. "That's better…"

"Umm… Setsuna…" a voice says from the front room… which startles her and nearly causes her to drop her drink.

"Hotaru? What are you doing here?"

"I… crept in after Minako and Makoto opened the door. I'm sorry…" the young woman says while bowing her head down. "I didn't mean to spy… but I had to see what the future held for them… and for you…"

Instead of feeling angry or annoyed, Setsuna takes a moment to think about the young woman's reasoning and then says softly- "You saw everything, didn't you?"

"Yes… it was one of the most horrible things I've ever witnessed… ever… it was so bloody… there was so much death and anger and pain… I couldn't help but feel it, even though I was almost four meters away…"

"It was too much… I passed out…"

"I noticed that… but I was too frightened to move…"

"It's okay, Hotaru, I'm fine now. I think we need to start taking this very seriously…"

"Yeah…"

A loud knock on the door interrupts their conversation. "Who's there?" Setsuna calls out… but gets no answer. Another knock is heard a moment later, followed by the sound of the door being opened…

Reaching for her Garnet Rod, Setsuna goes on the defensive. "Hotaru, get behind me…"

The younger Senshi quickly obeys and prepares to transform herself if necessary. A "click" is heard and the door swings wide open.

"It's been a while since I've been here…" a familiar voice calls out. Both Senshi inside watch as a woman walks into the apartment and begins looking around. Both Hotaru and Setsuna gasp…

"It can't be…" Setsuna exclaims. "I thought you were turned back…"

Hearing that, the intruder turns and looks at Setsuna and Hotaru. "Surprise!"

End Part B

Start Part C

Cautiously, Hotaru steps forward and takes a closer look at the pink-haired woman. "Is that… you, Chibi-Usa?"

A broad grin forms on the woman's face after hearing that…

"Yeah, it's me… though there's nothing really "chibi" about me anymore, especially up here…" is the reply back from the daughter of Usagi and Mamoru, who then places her hands on her chest, drawing attention to her well developed curves. "It's good to see you again Hotaru… and call me Usagi, okay?"

"Usagi!"

The two best friends give each other a hug and then Hotaru begins crying, unable to stop herself. "I'm so happy… that you're okay…"

Setsuna, who has been quiet, watches the reunion with joy, glad that the younger Usagi obviously survived that twisted future and made it back here.

"I'm sorry about earlier… you looked like the Black Lady with that hairstyle…" is the apologetic response from Pluto.

"It's fine… I did like the hairstyle… but not her attitude. That dress I was wearing when I was Black Lady was pretty sexy, though…" Gently, Usagi lets go of her friend and walks over to Setsuna. She gives the Senshi of time a hug and, being on the verge of tears ever since she saw these two, finally lets loose and begins crying. "Puu… I thought I'd never see you again… not after that massacre at the party…"

After hearing that, the Senshi of Time cannot help but tremble at the thought. "I… saw that just a little while ago… when Minako and Makoto were over here, asking about their futures."

The mere mention of those two names causes Usagi to close her eyes. "I know… I was there, remember? That was pure… insanity… I'd never thought I'd see the day when we'd turn on each other… but then again, the future hadn't been right for a long time. Things went from bad to worse…"

"I see… but I haven't really investigated this further… it all started with a vision of cake from Makoto's sleepover last weekend…"

"That looked like one yummy cake!" Hotaru interjects, remembering that vision clearly.

"From her, I'd expect no less…" Usagi comments softly, remembering the old days when she was a kid and enjoy Makoto's cooking. "What else did you see?"

"The next thing I looked into was my own future, but all I saw was nothing. Hotaru here wanted to know what happened to her… so I showed her…"

"I nearly died inside… after hearing about that…" Usagi says sadly. "She was the first Senshi to…"

The pain of the memory causes Usagi to stop speaking. "Anyway… it was the beginning of the end… there was no silver lining in the future. My mother tried to do the best she could… but there were things wrong from the start, from the near future here. Events only accelerated… and then continued after the Great Freeze."

"Usagi, how'd you get here? I mean, travel through time…" the ever curious Hotaru asks, not seeing any Time Key around her neck.

"Oh, it was easy… hold on…" After turning around, Usagi heads to the apartment entrance and picks up something off of the floor. "I used this…"

Holding up the Garnet Rod, Usagi explains how she got it. "I took it and hid it after Puu was killed… so no one else could go back and change time. I made it my mission to figure out a way to stop all of this… and keep everyone alive and good friends. With each death it only made my work more urgent…"

Setsuna watches as Usagi walks over with the rod. Both her and Hotaru gasp upon getting a better look at it…

"That's my Garnet Rod! What are those red stripes doing on it, though?"

Sadly, Usagi explains the difference between this rod and the one in Setsuna's possession now. "Puu… that's your blood…"

"Damn… that proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt…" Setsuna sighs aloud. "I'm going to die… and so is almost everyone else…"

Usagi nods her head. "That's right… and that's why I've come back- I want to stop this, even if it causes me never to exist. I'd rather see my friends happy and alive, no matter what the cost to me."

"Usagi, what's your strategy? How can we stop this?" Hotaru asks, wondering what the first step is.

"I don't know… I think we need to gather more information first." is Usagi's reply after a brief pause to think.

Nodding her head affirmatively, the Senshi of time agrees with her friend. "I agree… but I'm overwhelmed at the moment…"

"Me too… I'm happy because you're back… but I'm also horrified after seeing those two visions…" Hotaru says before taking a seat on the couch. "Why don't we relax for a little while first?"

"I like your thinking, Hotaru… and then maybe we can talk about your boyfriend…" Usagi says innocent though teasing matter.

Hotaru cannot help but blush. "What?"

The younger Usagi shrugs her shoulders. "I heard something from my mother a long time ago when we were talking about the past, so I'm just curious…"

"Hotaru, I had no idea you were dating someone. Michiru and Haruka never mentioned anything to me… and neither have you." Setsuna says, wondering what's going on.

Twiddling her thumbs nervously, Hotaru reveals some more about her current situation to her friends. "I'm not… there's a few boys that I like… but I haven't asked anyone out yet. I'm still a little nervous about it, even though all the other girls my age seem to talk about boys all the time…"

The Senshi of Time makes an observation on that. "I would expect no less from sixteen and seventeen year olds in this day and age… or of any age…"

"Yeah…" is the almost inaudible reply back from Saturn. She cannot help but feel a little relieved after talking about this… the secret is out, at least with her closest friends. Turning to look at her friend from the future, Hotaru has a question to ask, since the topic of "age" has come up.

"Usagi… the last time I saw you, you were a lot shorter then me… but now you're almost as tall as Setsuna. How'd you grow up so fast? You look like an adult."

"I was going to ask about that myself…" adds Setsuna. "You looked like you were about eleven or twelve in that vision I had of the party…"

"That sounds about right… after all of the dealings with Pegasus, I went back home. The war with the Black Moon had already come and gone… and the strained relationships started going from bad to worse after that. My mom tried to patch things up, but it was too late. Puu tried to help out, but…"

"There's no need to say anymore, we all saw what happened next." Setsuna says grimly, being forced to think about her future death at the hands of Minako once again.

"It was at that point that I made a decision to come back to the past and fix things, when I was strong enough and old enough. I trained in private, learning martial arts and improving on my own attacks. It wasn't long before I figured out how to attack with the Garnet Rod, too… and to use its energy. It would've taken a long time for me to go from a girl of twelve by today's standards to a woman of twenty-one that you see now…"

Setsuna considers that and remembers her prior experiences with that future. "From what I remember of the future, I'd agree. I'm surprised it worked for you, though… I've never seen anyone else be able to use it before…"

"You're still a part of the rod… the blood became those red stripes… that's probably why I can use it…" Usagi says, remarking on the barber shop shaped strip going up the length of the rod.

"So you used the rod to make yourself older?" Hotaru wonder aloud.

"Yeah, though once I figured out how to manipulate the flow of temporal energy, I had to be careful. I know my mom or dad would've stopped me, despite their guilt about what had happened. They were a little shocked at first when a month later I started growing out of my clothes…" A small giggle escapes the former Chibi-Usa's lips as she recalls that first conversation with her mom. "She said that I was finally becoming a real woman and I got some of my first real bras, she was happy for her little princess. It wasn't long before it was time to order clothes again…"

Setsuna pictures the future Queen talking to her daughter as described and smiles. "I could see her doing that… but how long did it take you to go from twelve to twenty-one? And how did you explain away this sudden aging, I mean, I'd be wondering what was going on…"

"About nine months, so about one year per month. I didn't want to make it any slower… stuff kept getting worse and worse and I felt the need to get back to the past grow stronger with each passing day. The pace felt right… I tried making it faster but the rod wouldn't do it… I wasn't ready to make that jump, I guess…"

"That sounds right… the Rod won't let me do things that are harmful to myself, especially when it comes to the flow of time. I guess it accepted you as it's new owner somehow, you are here…"

"Yeah… I am. I'm so glad to be out of that hell…" Usagi says softly. "I never got to enjoy being a teenager, learning about life and love. By the time I was used to being thirteen, I had already grown into a fourteen year old. Same with fourteen, and fifteen…"

"I don't know how you handled that… skipping all those years…" Hotaru says sadly. "I'm glad I got a chance to live again, thanks to your mother. This last year especially has been wonderful! No enemies, no fighting… I got a chance to learn how to be a teenager, to be a woman and to have fun."

"I'm happy for you, Hotaru… I didn't like skipping forward through time like that, but it had to be done. After three months in a row of my rapid aging, they really began to get concerned. They took me to a doctor… but he found nothing wrong with me. He just told them that it was "my time to become a woman" and they accepted that."

"So that's what they did, I'm surprised they let it drop so quickly…" Setsuna says after hearing more of the story.

"It did take some getting used to… my training became easier as I got older in some ways, I kept getting taller and my muscles developed more. There were downsides, too… I wasn't a "little pipsqueak" anymore, I had to act more and more like an adult. It was harder to sneak around, to hide… I was a lot more obvious, especially since I was some of the only happiness left in my parent's lives."

Silence fills the room after that statement and no one talks. Both Hotaru and Setsuna take a moment to try and comprehend the full scope of what they've just heard while Usagi heads over to the fridge and starts rummaging through it…

"What are you looking for?" a curious Pluto asks.

"Something to drink… it's been a long day… ah ha!"

Finding the bottle of sake, Usagi eagerly grabs it and places it on the counter, then closes the door. It isn't long before she finds a saucer in the cabinet and pours herself a drink…

Shocked at what she's seeing her future friend doing, Setsuna cannot help but ask. "You drink?"

After downing the whole saucer at once, Usagi nods her head and winks. "Of course, I'm twenty one after all, I'm legal."

Putting the sake down on the counter, Usagi decides to tease her friend a little and lighten the mood. She walks over to her friend and begins nudging her in the ribs…

"Puu, I never knew you drank…"

"It's hard for me to picture you drinking…" is the reply back before Setsuna begins to "fight" back and nudge Usagi.

"Me too… I keep thinking about the old days and the old Chibi-Usa…" Saturn says softly.

Having had enough of the nudging, Usagi stops and then sighs aloud. "I miss the old days, too. I'm still not used to being an adult… you should've heard how many guys were whistling at me while I was walking down the street…"

"And you were worried about me and boys!" Hotaru says, teasing her friend. "You look very pretty in that outfit."

"Thanks, I like it, too. Some high heels, a full length pink skirt and a pink button-down shirt… plus my alter ego's hairstyle- it's modest but still shows off my body. Maybe I can help you dress up for whatever boy you're interested in…"

"Sure!" is the gleeful response back while Setsuna rolls her eyes. Usagi notices this and smiles. "Maybe I could find a man for you, too…"

Shocked by that, the Senshi of Time can only utter one word. "Me?"

The pink-haired tease comes right to the point. "I've come back to help everyone stay happy and change the future… I think you need a man, Puu…"

Setsuna cannot help but say "What?" before stopping to full realize what she's saying. 'I've never really thought about it before… I'm always alone, watching the gates of time. Am I destined just to have friends… but no mate? I wonder…'

"Honestly, I've never really thought about it before… I think your rebellious attitude is catching…"

"After you've seen what I've seen… you can't help but have an attitude…" Usagi says back in her own defense. "There's a lot more then what you just viewed in the visions so far… but I think you two have been traumatized enough for one day…"

"You can say that again… but we're not going to let that happen. We've got a friend back… who can help us change things." Hotaru says with a smile.

Setsuna gives Usagi a big hug. "Thanks for coming back… I know we'll need your help…"

"Anything for my friends, you know that, Puu…"

After a brief discussion, it's agreed that for now, anyway, knowledge of what's happened in these visions should be kept on the "down low"… the three already know that some panic will arise from what Minako and Makoto saw, since they'll be telling the other inners.

"I don't want everyone to go crazy, so I think Hotaru should keep silent as well…" Usagi says to her friend before turning to get another saucer of sake.

"I don't like keeping things from Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa but… I think Usagi's right…" is the reply back from Hotaru, who feels a little reluctant to lie to her "parents".

"You have a point- we don't need anymore chaos that what's already been created by my looking into the future. Hotaru, call home and tell them you're staying here tonight. I think we need to make a game plan and figure out what to do and how to get started…"

Having some additional thoughts about it, Hotaru adds her own twist to the story. "Okay… it'll be a sleepover!"

"Good thinking…" Usagi says with a grin. "And it'll be the truth…"

While Hotaru makes the phone call, the other two are silent. Once the call is done and Hotaru reports in about the "Yes" answer, things become a little more jovial.

"Have another drink with me, Puu… to celebrate my return…"

Taking the sake, Setsuna pours her friend a drink. "Since when did you become a drunk?" she says playfully.

After downing the sake, Usagi retorts back: "I'm not a drunk…" before pouring Setsuna a round. "You need to loosen up, Puu… you're so serious all the time, at least, you were when I knew you…"

"I'm not saying I agree with that… but after what I saw today, I'll take that drink…"

Hotaru watches her friend down the sake and then say "Better make it two…" while shaking her head. "I said this was a sleepover… not a…"

"But we're having so much fun!" Usagi protests while trying to stop a red blush from forming on her face.

Setsuna sees an opportunity to tease her friend and takes it. "Hotaru… that's why you shouldn't drink too much… you'll get to be like our drunk little friend here…"

Usagi is not amused but smiles anyways. "See, I knew you could be funny…"

"Ha ha…" Setsuna says, not amused by the return comment.

"I'm not little anymore, either… I've already told you that. The little girl is long gone… and so is my innocence…" Usagi says, becoming suddenly very sober with her last words and thoughts. "I'm a woman now… for better or for worse…"

The other two silently agree with their friend… the silence is broken by the sound of a stomach growling…

"Sounds like someone's hungry…" Hotaru says while staring at the culprit.

"You're right… I haven't eaten since I got here a couple hours ago. I was touring the "old" Tokyo before I came here… including Tokyo Tower…"

"Don't forget ignoring all of the boys… you did say they were whistling at you…" a teasing Hotaru adds.

"That too…"

Setsuna has a solution to the "dinner" problem. "I know a good Thai place… I'll order some for us and have it delivered. Maybe some more sake… you drank the last of my stock…"

Lowering her head, Usagi apologizes to her friend. "Sorry Puu…"

Reaching for a menu, the Senshi of Time prepares to make the order. "It's okay… it's been a rough day to say the least. I don't blame you for wanting a drink…"

"Thanks…"

"Now, what does everyone want to eat? I'm buying…"

A hungry Hotaru likes what she hears. "Sounds good… let's see what they have to eat…"

After deciding on their dishes, Setsuna places the order and it isn't long before the food arrives. The three try to have a "normal" dinner and forget about what they saw earlier, even if it's just for the night.

By the time dinner's done, both bottles of sake are gone and both Usagi and Setsuna are feeling very "relaxed", a red blush covers both woman's cheeks.

"You two shouldn't have had so much to drink…"

"We're fine Hotaru, don't worry…" Usagi says with a wink.

"If you say so… I don't know how you could drink that stuff, though… that little taste you gave me of your drink tasted awful…"

"Sometimes certain things are an acquired taste…" Setsuna says while cleaning up the kitchen table. "You're too young to be drinking anyway…"

Hotaru shrugs her shoulders and agrees, feeling like she's not really missing anything. She has an idea… this is supposed to be a sleepover after all…

"Why don't we all watch some TV together in the front room here…"

"Good idea, I'll go get my extra futons and we'll sleep out here…"

As Setsuna gets the necessary things, Usagi realizes that something else is missing in this sleepover.

"Hotaru, do you have pajamas here? I only have the clothes on my back…"

"I forgot about that… I don't have anything either…" Hotaru says, realizing that she totally forgot about that aspect of the sleepover.

"Puu…" Usagi calls out. "We need some pajamas…"

"Come into my room…" is the reply back. "I'm sure I've got something for you two to wear…"

The two women head into Setsuna's bedroom and find her wearing an outfit they've never seen before.

"That's so pretty…" Hotaru says, admiring her friend's black silk pajamas.

"I was out shopping and picked this up… it feels nice… and for some reason, I'm in the mood to wear it…"

Usagi agrees with Hotaru's comment a moment ago. "You look great, Puu… that's very elegant."

Appreciating the comments, Setsuna happily nods her head. "Thanks…"

"You said that you had something for us to wear, too… do you have anymore pajamas like that?" a curious and hopeful Hotaru asks.

"I'm sorry… I didn't know that Usagi was coming… or that this was going to happen, so no… but, I do have some sweatpants and shirts you two could wear. It's a little cold in the apartment, I don't want you two to get sick or anything…"

Pluto opens up her closet door and immediately Usagi begins looking through the shirts on the hangars…

"Sounds good… ooh, pink!" she says, finding one that suits her almost immediately.

It isn't long before Hotaru sees something that she likes as well. "Pass me that purple one, please…"

"Sure…" Usagi takes both shirts off the hangars and then closes the door. "Now we need the sweatpants…"

After open one of her bottom drawers, Setsuna hands the pair what they need "Here you go…"

"Thanks…" is the reply from both before they undress and put on their new sleepwear.

After changing, Usagi notices a full-length mirror in the corner of the room and walks towards it, motioning the other two to join her in front of it.

"What do you think, are these the faces of the three women that can change the future?" she asks of her friends as they look into the mirror.

"Yeah! I'm not going to blow myself up, no matter what!" is the enthusiastic reply from Hotaru.

"And I'm not going to get stabbed… or let anyone else die…" Setsuna says softly, not wanting to think about those events any more then she has to before going to bed.

"I'm going to save all my friends… and the future, even if it costs me my life. It's time to make a change!" Usagi says enthusiastically.

After a few moments of quiet determination, each woman vows in her heart to stop the supposed future of death and destruction. The three head back to the front room and make themselves comfortable in their futons while watching TV. During the first program, Usagi heads to the kitchen to grab a snack while Hotaru stretches her arms towards the ceiling and yawns…

"Someone's tired…"

"Yeah, it's been a long day." Looking down at the oversized shirt and the extra long sleeves, the Senshi of Saturn cannot help but comment on her situation. "I feel like I'm drowning in your shirt…"

"That's all I have… I'm sorry if it doesn't fit properly…"

"Just wait a few years and… woah…"

"Watch your step…" Setsuna says to Usagi, who nearly tripped and fell in the darkened room.

"Sorry about that…" Usagi then sits down on her futon and begins eating the ice cream she nearly dropped just a moment ago. "My balance is off…"

"I think it's from the alcohol…" is the quick reply from Hotaru.

"No, it's not. I'm just not used to these yet…"

"Used to what?" Setsuna asks, wondering what she means.

"My boobs… I went from having none to having these big ones in less then nine months… just how do you keep balanced, Puu? You fill out that shirt as well as I do…"

Not believing what she's hearing, Setsuna just rolls her eyes. "I guess you didn't have time to adjust… all I can suggest is just watching your step and don't bend over too much in any direction, especially forward… until you're used to your new body."

"That sounds like it'd work…" Usagi notices that Hotaru has begun giggling for some reason and she wants to know why.

"Is something funny?"

"I just remembered something… about your mother. She is a bit of a klutz, maybe it's in your genes to be off balance…"

Setsuna grins and tries not to laugh… Usagi is not amused in the slightest.

"I'm not like my mom! I'm elegant and dainty… I was the "Small Lady" after all. Maybe I lost that when I skipped my childhood…"

"That could be…" Setsuna says, nodding in agreement. "You've done something that no one's done before, age with temporal energy from my rod. Who knows what the full range of consequences is?"

Softly sighing, Usagi voices her agreement with that statement. "Yeah…"

Trying to cheer her friend up, Hotaru offers some encouraging words. "You'll be fine, Usagi… I just know it…"

"I hope so…"

The three go back to watching TV and relaxing… during a commercial Usagi has a witty retort for Hotaru's "klutz" comment earlier.

"Hotaru, enjoy it while you can…"

"Enjoy what?" is the confused reply back.

Dodging that question for the moment, Usagi asks a question of Setsuna. "Puu, did you ever show Hotaru here what Mistress Nine looked like?"

"Hmm… no, I never did. I think Hotaru has a few memories of her time as that villain, like you do of Black Lady…"

"I see…" Usagi says while trying to figure out her next reply.

"I think I remember what I looked like as her…" Hotaru says while conjuring up the memory.

"Think about it- you may have your own "Balance problems" soon…" Usagi says with a large grin.

"That's bad, Usagi…" Setsuna says, not believing how truly "adult" the former Chibi-Usa had become- it was more then just her body that aged, her mind and attitude were that of an adult, not a child.

Hotaru blushes after realizing what her friend means. "That's mean! I like my body the way it is now…"

"Your still a teen, Hotaru… Usagi is right. You can keep the shirt… it'll fit you just fine in a year or two…"

After being double teamed like that, Hotaru only sees one way out. "Prepare for my wrath…"

"Huh?" is the common reply from the other two before each gets hit in the face with a pillow, courtesy of the Senshi of Destruction. "Pillow attack of Destruction!"

Grabbing the nearest pillow of her own, Usagi prepares for battle. "I'll show you a pillow attack of destruction…"

Much to the surprise of Hotaru and Usagi, Setsuna also wants to join the pillow fight. "Time for a "Deadly Pillow Scream", Hotaru… I hope you're ready…"

"This pillow glaive can destroy the world, you know…" Hotaru says back, continuing the theme and playing along.

"Then we'll have to stop you…"

Taking a defensive posture, Hotaru boldly taunts her "foes". "You can try…"

After Hotaru's comment, the pillow fighting begins in earnest. The two older women double team Hotaru for a while before it turns into a total free for all for several minutes… the three are having so much fun that they forget, at least temporarily, why Usagi has come back from the future. The bonds of friendship strengthen as the pillow fight comes to an end…

"That was fun!" Hotaru says happily. "I told you to watch out for the Pillow Glaive, but you two didn't listen…"

"I guess not… but YOU two got a little of my "Deadly Pillow Scream"…" Setsuna says proudly.

"Same from me… I do know all your moves, Puu. That was fun… I haven't had fun like this... or... or felt this happy in a long time." The girl said smiling brightly with tears forming in her eyes. "Thank you both…"

"Anything for my friends…" is Hotaru's happy reply back.

Worn out by the pillow fight, the three women decide to turn in for the night and talk more in the morning. It's not a peaceful night for any of them, nightmares haunt all three women as they sleep but Usagi's is the worst. Memories of her former boyfriend and how he met his death trouble her as she recalls how she started on her new mission…

"No, no… don't die! How could you do this to me?" Chibi-Usa says after letting the dead body slump to the ground.

"Rei... do you hate me?"

"Hate you? No I don't hate you... I loath you... I detest you... I cannot stand you! Your royal bitch of a mother took Mamoru away from me... just because "she" was the princess... and "she" was going to be the queen someday while I had to sit back and watch as she took the man of my dreams! She took him... married him and had a damn child with him and then she has the gall to ask ME to watch over her daughter for her! NO I don't hate you... I wish you were never alive!"

The words cause more pain then almost any attack the Senshi of fire could inflict on Chibi-Usa and she backs off slowly as Mars prepares for a Flame Sniper attack to finish off the pink-haired girl…

"No, please, don't do it, don't kill me… REI!"

Hotaru and Setsuna are suddenly awakened by a scream from Usagi. The two immediately wake up and look at their friend, who's breathing heavily and sweating.

"Usagi, are you okay?" Hotaru asks, being very concerned for her friend.

"I… I… think so. I was just having a nightmare… I'll be fine…" is the reply back from the pink-haired woman.

"Are you sure? You sounded pretty frightened…" Setsuna says, feeling very worried about her friend.

"I've seen a lot in the past year or so… lots of tragedy… I guess I can't help but think about it, even when I'm sleeping."

"We're here… if you need us…" Setsuna says while adjusting her blanket.

"Okay… I'll let you know. I think we all need some sleep, though… I'll be fine, trust me…" Usagi closes her eyes again and prays for a better dream this time.

After watching Usagi fall asleep, Hotaru and Setsuna also go to sleep, satisfied that their friend is going to be okay… hopefully…

The days' events take their effects during the night on two other women, Minako and Makoto. Minako has terrible nightmares about killing Pluto and other people at that party and ends up unconsciously reaching for Artemis, who had been sleeping next to her, and using him as something to cry on…

Makoto has no so luxury and uses her pillow instead, grappling it tightly as she ponders  
"Why?"

To be continued in Chapter 5: Revelations

Look for more Sailor Moon from me in the future, let me know what you think of this very unique chapter.


	5. Chapter 5: Revelations

Chapter 5: Revelations

Thanks to Daniel and Steven for the preread on this one. I also have new fanart for this story, check out the links in my author's profile. (The links didn't show up here)

After an uneasy night, at least for some of the inhabitants of Tokyo, Saturday morning arrives. In one of the apartments, the young woman inside wakes up and rubs her eyes…

"That was some night… but that nightmare was real. I think that vision was too realistic…" Makoto says with a soft sigh. "Her rod tells the truth, though… but that can't be right. Why would Minako I be killing people?"

Sitting up on her bed, Makoto realizes that she had been crying all night… her tear soaked pillow is testament to that. 'No wonder I still feel tired… and emotionally drained. I felt alone… so alone… and angry… I just wanted to make everyone pay. But why?'

The more she thinks about the subject, the worse she feels. Getting out of bed, Makoto does some stretches and tries to wake up fully, despite feeling confused and a little tired. The wood floors of her apartment as she walks from her bedroom into her kitchen.

'Maybe a little breakfast will help… I can think about this some more. There's one thing I do know… I'm going to have to have a talk with Usagi later… before our sleepover. This kind of future is not one I want…'

As Makoto makes herself something to eat and ponders her current situation more… another inhabitant of the Azu-Jubaan area wakes up to the sound of crying…

"Minako?"

After getting no response, Artemis opens his eyes and realizes something. 'She's using me as a cuddle toy? Wait a second…'

The quick judgment comes to an end when the white cat realizes that his fur is wet, damp with the tears of the young woman that he's supposed to watching and instructing.

Gently nudging his head against hers, Artemis tries to wake her up.

"Minako… Minako… wake up…"

Minako opens her eyes. "Huh, what?"

"Are you okay? You've been crying all night…"

"I have?"

"Look at my fur if you don't believe me…" Artemis says softly.

The blonde gently pats him on the head and runs her fingers down his back… she immediately feels the tear-soaked fur and realizes that he's telling the truth.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Her guardian cat shakes his head. "Don't worry about it… you must've been having a bad dream or something…"

Silence is all the response that Minako gives back in response. Artemis senses that maybe there's something more… and asks another question.

"Minako… did something happen last night at Setsuna's place?"

A silent nod is all Minako can manage.

'Now I know something's wrong if the talkative Minako isn't even saying a word back to me… it has to be bad… really bad…' Artemis thinks as he ponders what to do next.

"Artemis… it was more then a dream… that vision that Makoto and I saw… was more real then anything I've seen before…" Minako says before sitting up on the bed and sighing aloud.

"A vision?"

"Yes… and her visions always come true, don't they? She is the Guardian of Time, right?"

The white cat pauses and then nods his head. "Yes, that's right on both counts…"

"I've never felt so angry… and alone before. I felt like I given my heart out a hundred times… and never got real love back in return. It scared me a lot… and that's not even mentioning all of the killing I did…"

That takes Artemis by surprise. "Killing? You killed people? I can't believe that!"

"Maybe I should tell you about what I saw last night… all the details…" a slightly trembling Minako says while looking down at her friend.

"Sure… take your time… I'm listening…"

Minako takes a few deep breaths and then starts to explain what happened last night. Artemis is stunned and shocked to say the least… he's never heard of something like this happening before…

'We never did see what happened after that Dark Moon Kingdom was beaten back and the Doom Phantom was destroyed… it seems like the worse was yet to come…'

The pair continue their discussion over breakfast as well and come up with some ideas, among which is to talk with Usagi and see if she knows anything more about this.

"I'll call her up and see if she wouldn't mind having me over early… this is too important to wait…"

By the time noon rolls around, Usagi's worrying reaches a new level and she feels the urge to talk about it. She brings her lunch upstairs to her room, along with some tuna for Luna…

"For me?" Luna asks as the blonde sets the plate of food down in front of her. "Something must be wrong… I normally make my own lunch…"

Usagi attempts to smile but fails. "Yes… I just got two phone calls in the last hour… both were pretty serious… and disturbing…"

That gets Luna's attention and she decides to hold off on eating her tuna. "Who called?"

"Makoto and then Minako… they want to come over early and talk with me… something about the future… and it being horrible beyond anything we've seen or faced before. Luna… I didn't get all the details… but from what I've heard… I'm scared. So scared…"

Tears flow from Usagi's eyes… 'I can't fix this… if what they said is true… and Setsuna saw this happen…'

Releasing all of her emotions at once, Usagi clearly shows her feelings of helplessness and despair. "Damn it Luna, I can't fix this! It's going to happen!"

"What's going to happen? You haven't told me anything about what they told you… I need to know if I'm going to help you."

After realizing that she said "future"… Luna feels a sense of dread herself. She decides to inquire further…

"Did they talk to Setsuna?"

The only word the blonde can manage to say is "Yes"… which is all Luna needed to hear.

"Tell me what they told you…"

When she was talking to them over the phone, both of them had been very nervous and scared, which Usagi could practically feel over the phone. Yet even though neither had gone into any details, the one thing she got from the conversation was that the future had to change or the Senshi will end up fighting each other.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to be there when they come over… I think this is too serious to be taken lightly. It's a good thing Makoto's having that sleepover tonight… it'll give us all a chance to talk about this."

"Good idea, Luna… I want you to hear the whole thing, too… I… need help…" Usagi says, feeling helpless and worried about the situation. "This may be too much for me to handle…"

Luna gently places her paw on Usagi's forehead. "Admitting that… shows me how much you've matured since I first found you. We'll figure this out together, okay?"

Feeling a little better after hearing that, Usagi nods her head. "Okay!"

The other inners start their day as well, getting chores and other things they need to do out of the way before the evening's sleepover… unaware of what transpired yesterday in Setsuna's apartment. Michiru and Haruka are also kept in the dark in that regard by Hotaru… heeding Setsuna's advice from earlier. The young woman also asks for permission to stay over again tonight… her guardians are happy to see her spending time with Setsuna, not to mention the sudden availability of some "private time". Needless to say, they happily agree…

Over at the Hino's residence, Rei is feeding her crows outside when her boyfriend Yuuchiro approaches…

"I heard you're heading out again tonight…"

"I was going to tell you, after I feed the crows. Don't worry, I didn't forget about our dinner date for tomorrow night…" Rei says with a wink.

"Good… I just wanted to make sure…" the young man says with a firm nod.

Rei finishes sprinkling the food on the ground and then gets up, motioning her boyfriend to follow her. The two end up in her room… she closes the door and surprises him with a quick hug.

"I'm not neglecting you, am I?"

"No…"

Despite the winter coats that both are wearing, Yuuchiro can swear that he feels the warmth of her body as he holds her… not realizing that she is the Senshi of Fire.

"Good. I don't want to neglect you or my friends… or school. It's so busy sometimes… but I try to make time for what's important…"

That comment brings a grin to Yuuchiro's face. "Thanks… I think you're important, too. You're on break from school, right?"

"Yes…"

"We should go skiing then… at my parents lodge…" Yuuchiro says, explaining his idea and hoping that Rei will agree.

Not wanting to commit without thinking the idea through… and making sure it was okay with her grandpa, Rei places hard to get. "Hmm… I'll think about it… I'll talk to you again tomorrow about that."

Realizing that's the best that he's going to get for the moment, the young man places a kiss on Rei's cheek and then gently backs away. "I've got some more chores to do… but do think about it…"

"I will…" Rei says, her cheeks tingling with a red blush, not only from the kiss, but the idea of spending some quality time with her boyfriend.

With that, Yuuchiro leaves… the Senshi of Fire takes off her jacket and hangs it up. 'Time to get ready for tonight…' she thinks as she gets out her bag and begins to fill it with her clothes and pajamas, along with her sleeping bag. I wonder what'll happen tonight?'

Across town, Ami is busy eating her lunch when her Mercury computer suddenly beeps. She immediately knows who it is and opens the case…

"Now that's a familiar sight…" a voice says a few moments later.

Putting her sandwich down, a puzzled Ami asks- "What do you mean?"

"You in that pose… it reminds me of that picture your friend Usagi gave me of you three years ago… you had a sandwich in your hand and you were about to take a bite out of it…" Urawa says back with a grin.

Ami smiles. "Yes, I remember when she took that picture… but a lot has changed in three years… I look a little different…"

Urawa decides to use this opportunity to flirt with her a little. "I've noticed… and I've liked the changes. You definitely look better with the longer hair… and the glasses…"

A red blush forms on Ami's face. "Yes, I think so too. You've also changed…"

"What do you mean?" is the reply back from Urawa, unsure of what she means by that.

Deciding to return the favor, Ami nervously replies: "You're more… handsome…"

"Thanks…" the blushing Urawa replies back. "Are we still on for lunch tomorrow?"

"Yes… my mother is looking forward to meeting you. I hope this helps put to rest any fears that she might have…"

"She's just worried about you… and she wants to make sure I'm not a 'bad seed' or anything…"

Ami thinks about that for a moment and then shrugs her shoulders. "I guess… I think it has more to do with the fact that you're my… my first boyfriend then anything else…"

"That could be it, too…"

The pair exchange silent glances at each other before Urawa's watch starts beeping.

"I've got to get going… I just wanted to talk with you for a minute and make sure that everything is good for tomorrow…"

"Yes… thank you. I can't wait to see you again…"

"Me either…"

With that, the video link closes. Ami returns to eating her sandwich and thinks about tomorrow and the fun she's hopefully going to have… and tonight… being with her friends is also fun, in a different way.

The early afternoon finds Usagi and Minako at Makoto's place, telling their story to the future Queen Serenity and Luna. Needless to say, both are even more shocked then before… and do their best to comfort their friends… and to think of a solution.

At Setsuna's apartment, the pink Usagi and Setsuna finish lunch and debate on what to do with the rest of the day.

"I do have to tell you more about what happened… maybe that'd be better to do after dinner, when I'm more relaxed. I think you should show Haruka and Michiru what they might need to know… after we've made a timeline… I want the Outers to be fully aware of what lies ahead…"

Amazed by this sudden turn to the serious, Setsuna takes several seconds to respond. 'Is this the same woman who was so… fun-loving last night, at least for the most part. She sounds deadly serious… maybe I should go with her plan…'

"That sounds good, let's use your idea."

That makes Usagi very happy. "Great! Now we just wait…"

"Wait for what?"

"For Hotaru, she should be here any minute. We've got some plans… and you're coming, too…" Usagi says that last part with a wink, causing Setsuna to become immediately suspicious.

"Thanks for letting me know…" the Senshi of Time says with mock sarcasm. "I should've known you were up to something when you made that phone call… and you were talking in a soft voice…"

"I guess I can't fool you, Puu…" the pink-haired woman says with a shrug.

"I have a quick question for you… since we have a few minutes until Hotaru arrives…"

"Go ahead…"

"What happened to Luna P? You came in here with my rod… but I haven't seen your floating ball…"

Usagi suddenly feels sad… and angry, all at the same time.

"She was… destroyed…"

That gets Setsuna even more curious. "By whom?"

"I was going to use it… when Helios and I were attacked… but they did their homework… it was the first thing they took care of…" Usagi says sadly.

Having a bad feeling, Setsuna decides to press for more information. "Was this happening… at the same time as the other attack… by Makoto and Minako?"

"Exactly… it was all planned out… I'm lucky that I lived through it… but Helios didn't make it… and neither did Luna P."

Setsuna gets straight to the point. "Who attacked you?"

Before Usagi can answer, the doorbell rings. Not wanting to relive the memories, at least at this moment, the younger woman sprints off to the door and opens it, letting Hotaru inside.

'It must've been really bad… if she's ignoring the question. I'll let it go…' Setsuna thinks while Hotaru takes off her boots and steps inside.

"Are you ready to hear our itinerary?" a grinning Usagi says.

Resigned to defeat and the inevitable shopping trip, the Senshi of Time shrugs her shoulders. "Tell me… where are we going?"

"First of all, you're going to tell us where you got those silk pajamas… so we can buy our own…"

"Yeah… in purple!" Hotaru says happily.

"Or pink…" Usagi adds.

"That sounds simple enough… but I have a feeling there's more then one stop one this trip… or else you wouldn't have been grinning like that earlier…"

"Now that's a surprise… but I will tell you one thing. I agreed to help out Hotaru so that's part of the reason…" Usagi says carefully, not wanting to spoil the surprise.

"Hmm… okay. Let me get my coat and we'll head out…"

End Part A.

Start Part B

And so the great shopping trip begins. The three women brave the winter weather to do some shopping, their breathes causing smoke to appear in the chilly air. Despite the cold, Usagi seems to be enjoying herself and her time with her two best friends.

Hotaru and Setsuna both notice this and make silent vows to help out their friend, who sacrificed a lot just to come back to the past and warn them of the dangers ahead.

'I know there are details that only she can provide… we have to stop those events from happening… or we're all doomed, myself included.' Setsuna thinks, letting her mind delve into the subject even more.

With their first stop fast approaching, Pluto takes a moment to compose herself and to remember exactly where in the store she got those black silk pajamas.

"Well, we're here. Lead the way!" Usagi says while nodding at the front door.

"Follow me…" is the reply back from Setsuna, who quickly heads inside the store. Hotaru and Usagi follow close behind and soon all three women are inside the clothing store, which at first glance seems to be focused on selling items made out of silk…

"It's good to be out of the cold…" Hotaru says while taking off her purple hat.

"You can say that again… brrr…" Usagi says while trying to warm her hands up.

After giving a friendly nod to one of the sales associates, Setsuna beckons her followers onward. "They're over in the back and to the left. See if you can find something in your colors…"

Usagi feels a new burst of energy and exclaims "Great!" before rushing towards the back, Hotaru is right behind her.

The Senshi of Destruction finds what she wants almost immediately, a dark purple pajama set. She looks through the rack to find the right size and while doing so is quite impressed by the little dragon designs and the softness of the fabric.

"I see you found something already…" Setsuna says after taking a closer look at Hotaru's selection.

"Yeah… and I'm going to pick something just a little bit bigger, so I can grow into it, like Usagi said before. That way I won't need to buy another pair later…"

"Good thinking… she may have been teasing you, but that was a valid point. As long as you're comfortable in what you get, that's all that matters."

The two talk a little more while Usagi looks around for something in pink. It takes a few minutes, but she finds a design with red hearts peppered all over the top and bottom… which gets a nod of approval in her book.

'This would be so easy if I was 12 again… it's not easy shopping for adult clothing. My legs are so long now… I hope they have long enough pants! Same thing for the top…'

"Find something, Usagi?" Hotaru asks her friend as she approaches, her new pajama set en tow.

"Yeah… but I'm searching for the right size now… this set is so cute!"

"Pink with red hearts… that's definitely you…" Setsuna says with a nod.

"Help me find some long pants… they don't have too much in this design for tall people…" Usagi says before resuming her search.

"Well, let's see what we can find…" the Senshi of Time says while looking at a nearby rack which holds some additional sets of that particular design. About a minute later, Hotaru finds a promising prospect and hands it to Usagi, who's quite happy about the find.

"I think this will work… now I need a top in the same design…"

"I'll help out with this one… Usagi here seems to be quite gifted these days…"

A bright red blush covers the pink haired woman's face. "Puu!"

"What? I can't make a joke? I'm not serious all of the time… and you and I are of the same build. It was a serious observation…" Pluto says with a sigh.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. At least this time I'm an adult because I wanted to be for unselfish reasons… the other two times I was one because people played off of my selfish desires to be one…"

Hotaru is impressed by that honest self-observation on her best friend's part and the amount of maturity she just showed… and gives her friend a hug of encouragement. Setsuna is also impressed and despite some of the joking that's she's seen, the adult Chibi-usa is a very serious, determined woman on a mission… and a person that's seen horrors that she's only begun to see…

Hotaru has another point to add. "Don't forget that this time you're not out to destroy the world, either… you're not alone…"

"I know… I can't believe I was manipulated like that…" a soft sigh escapes Usagi's lips. "I want to see everyone be happy… no matter what…"

"And we're here to help you out…" Setsuna says while handing a button down pajama top to Usagi. "You two try on your pajamas and make sure they're comfortable…"

"Sure… this is only the first stop, you know…" Usagi says before walking towards the changing room. Setsuna stops Hotaru before she can get too far…

"Do you know where else we're going?"

The dark haired teen shrugs her shoulders. "No idea… but she said it'd be fun… and there was one place she wanted to go that she'd never been to before… that's all I know…"

"I guess we'll find out soon enough…"

Hotaru nods her head and says "Yeah…" before heading to the changing room herself.

To pass the time, Setsuna has a seat just outside of the changing area and picks up a random magazine, flipping through it and trying not to think about the future…

Inside one of the booths a short time later, Hotaru poses in front of the mirror, admiring the way she looks in these new pajamas and how comfortable and warm they are. 'The colors are perfect for me… and the pants are a little long, I'll have to cuff them until I grow a bit taller. The top is a little bit oversized… for now. I look… beautiful… and I can't wait to be an adult… though I wouldn't want to have to go through what Usagi did to get to that point…'

Next door, Usagi has already changed into her pajamas and is admiring herself in the mirror, being truly in love with the design. 'The pants are of the right length… though Puu pulled a fast one on me with the top… it's pretty tight fitting… I wonder why she did that? Still, it's a must buy!'

A gentle knock on the door gets Hotaru's attention. "Can I come in?"

"Sure!" is the quick reply back after the young woman recognizes the voice. Her friend steps inside and closes the door. "Looks good, Hotaru… perfect color choice for you…"

"Thanks, Setsuna… I really think so, too…"

The teen then gently knocks on the wall in front of her. "Are you ready yet, Usagi?"

"Come on over…" is the reply back.

The two women head into the next booth over and find Usagi standing in front of the mirror. "Well, what do you think?"

"Very pretty!" is the first response, from an enthusiastic Hotaru.

"I second that thought… I see the pants fit perfectly…"

"Of course… they're perfect for my long legs and wider hips…" Usagi says with a nod.

"And bigger behind…" Setsuna adds, trying to make another joke at Usagi's expense.

Needless to say, the pink haired woman is not amused. "HEY! What's with you today? Is this make fun of Usagi day or what?"

Silently shaking her head, Pluto decides to come to right to the point. "You always told me… to be less serious… and to be more… fun…"

"True…" Usagi concedes. "It took a lot of work to loosen you up… and that was just before everything started going to hell…"

"So I've just saved you 1000 years of work… and besides, you've already made some jokes about me at my expense. Turnabout is fair play, after all…"

"I think Setsuna's right…" Hotaru says softly. "I think I should get to joke about you more, too… you were joking about my figure at the sleepover…"

Seeing no way out of this, Usagi rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulders. "You two are right… what's fair is fair…"

"Thank you…" is the happy response from both Hotaru and Setsuna after hearing that.

"Just one quick question… why did you pick this top? It's kinda tight!"

"Well… after remembering what you were wearing when I first saw you, I could tell that you liked to show off your chest a little… you were definitely showing some skin."

"Hmm… good point. What's the point in being an adult and having these…" Usagi takes a deep breath, accentuating her figure even more. "Without having some fun. I guess the innocent little girl became a not so innocent flirt…"

"I wonder what your mother would have to say about that…" Hotaru says while mock chiding her best friend.

"That's where she got it from…" Setsuna says, remembering how the blonde Usagi was for quite a while after becoming Sailor Moon… and still had some of those tendencies currently, though she was trying her best to suppress them.

After thinking about what was just said and looking into her heart, she realizes that Setsuna is right about this "new her" as an adult. She makes a decision regarding the pajama top. "I'll keep this size… though I do hope I can wear a bra under this if I need to…"

"I'm sure you'll be fine…"

Hotaru heads back to her booth and the two change while Setsuna heads up to the front cash registers. 'I wonder who's paying for this… it'll probably end up being me… so I'd better make sure I have the yen for those. Silk is very expensive!'

While the Senshi of time searches her purse for money, the other two women make their way to the front and put their choices on the counter…

"Did you find everything you wanted?" the sales rep asks politely.

"Yes, everything is great… you have such pretty things in here!" Hotaru says with a nod.

After entering in the prices for the pajamas and then adding the tax, the sales rep turns to look at her customers. "That'll be 47,500 yen with tax…"

That number takes Saturn by surprise. "Wow… that's a lot…"

"But you do pay for quality…" Setsuna says, being satisfied with her own purchases from this store.

"Yes ma'am, we stock only the best!" is the enthusiastic reply to that comment from the sales rep. Setsuna begins to reach for some bills in her purse when Usagi places five 10,000 yen bills on the counter.

"That should do it… this is on me…" Usagi says with a smile. An overjoyed Hotaru gives her friend a hug and then bows.

"Thank you!"

"Anything for my best friend!"

Even the sales rep cannot help but see how much joy that has just brought the young woman and comments "That's so nice…"

"They've been friends for a long time…" Setsuna adds. 'And that's definitely an understatement…'

Taking the 50,000 yen off of the counter, the sales rep says "I'll get your change and get you packed up right away…" before doing just that. 'It's nice perk of the job to see someone be so happy about one of our products…'

One thing bugs Setsuna, though… and she waits until they're back outside to ask.

"Usagi, where'd you get all that money from?"

"From the future… there was some old stuff buried under the castle and I remembered hearing about money from old Tokyo… it's actually from this year, so it's 100% legal. I wanted to be prepared when I came back here… so I wouldn't have to leech off of you or anyone else…"

"That's really smart… you definitely thought things out before coming here."

"Yep. Now it's time for store number two!"

"Where to?" a curious Hotaru asks.

"I need some more winter gear… what I brought back from the future isn't c-c-cutting it…" Usagi says while trying not to shiver.

"I know a place…" Setsuna says, volunteering her services as a guide once again.

"Lead on, shopaholic!" is the cheerful reply from Usagi.

"I am NOT a shopaholic!"

Hotaru decides to step in before this goes too far. "Let's get going before Usagi freezes to death…"

"G-good point…" is the reply from Usagi, who begins rubbing her hands together. "I guess I didn't pack everything…"

"You didn't have anything besides your purse, my Garnet Rod, and what you wearing, did you?" Setsuna asks while trying to remember if there was anything else that she's forgetting.

"No… and it's a lot colder here then yesterday…"

"Good think we only have to walk a few blocks… follow me…"

As snow begins to fall from the early afternoon sky, Setsuna leads the "shopping group" down the street, walking at a brisk pace in order to reach the shop quickly. 'I think Usagi isn't used to the cold winters of the past…'

A few minutes later, the three women arrive in the store. Usagi immediately gets to work, looking for a thicker overcoat, gloves, scarf, and a hat. The other two back off and let their friend "do her thing"… it only takes fifteen minutes for the whole process to be complete… and Usagi to be rid of her old coat, which is traded in for some store credit. As soon as they get outside, Hotaru is the one to ask "Next stop?"

"I need some regular clothes… and I know just where to get them. This won't take long, I already know what I need and which store I want to get it from…"

"Good… all this walking is making me hungry."

Hotaru agrees with Setsuna on that one. "Me too…"

"Let's get something to eat after this next stop them, we can recharge and warm up…" Usagi says, starting to feel a little hungry herself.

Soft winter snow continues to fall, though the new arrival to the 20th century is now little fazed by it. As promised, the next stop is a short one and the three women have some lunch inside a café…

Quite a different scenario is in play over at Makoto's apartment, however. Usagi is trying her best to comfort her friends Minako and Makoto, who are crying after retelling what they saw in the future. The anger, hate, jealousy… the desire for revenge… they bare it all. Usagi and Luna are totally aghast about what they hear… the future Queen feel sad and hopeless… and even a little afraid of what supposedly was supposed to come…

'If this is supposed to happen… that means that I'm partly to blame. What can I do? How can I help my friends? I can't let them do this… no way… they deserve to be happy, too…'

The pair of Luna and Usagi try to figure out something while comforting their two friends and waiting for the arrival of Rei and Ami. 'If there ever was a time for us Senshi to come together, it's now… even my magic can't fix this problem…'

Not wanting to totally wear out her friends and feeling the strain of several bags of clothes, Usagi decides to head for one last store to pick up some more "necessities".

Hotaru blushes profusely after looking up at the displays in the windows of Usagi's choice of store. Even Setsuna cannot help but react a little… Usagi sees her friends' reactions and giggles…

"Why are you guys so embarrassed? It's just a lingerie store…"

"I know it is… this is what I thought you meant earlier… when you couldn't stop grinning while talking about this shopping trip. I was right…" Setsuna then sighs aloud. "You certainly became one naughty woman…"

"HEY! Is it my fault I grew up so fast? It must've been the hormones… and all of the messed up stuff that was going on in my life. I have feelings and emotions… even desires that I never had before I grew up this time…" Usagi says, defending her new attitude as best she can.

"Maybe…" Setsuna carefully concedes.

"I was an older teen for a little while one time… but I was so shocked about it and worried about Pegasus that I really didn't notice things like that. Of course, you remember the Black Lady… she was too busy trying to help the Doom Phantom destroy the earth to worry about anything else…"

"You've been through a lot, Usagi… we understand. I was a baby for a while… after your mother rescued me… and then I was 13 again in a short time, so I can kind of relate to what happened to you…"

"Thanks, Hotaru. I just need a few things here and we'll call it a day… I'm really getting tired of carrying around all these clothes… and I don't want to see either of you burdened by them, either."

"Usagi…" Hotaru places her hand on her friend's shoulder. "We're here for you… if you didn't come back to warn us…"

"Then time would've unfolded just like the visions we saw… and frankly, I don't want to die… I'm sure we can figure out a way to change things…" Setsuna while also placing a reassuring hand on her friend's other shoulder.

"Thank you both…" Usagi says softly. "I knew this would work out… I trust you two the most. I love my mom and dad… but things happened… and lots of people suffered."

After taking a few breathes to compose herself, the pink haired woman takes a few steps forward. "There's no going back now… I'm sure we're already changing history right now…"

"Yeah…" is the soft response from Hotaru.

All is silent for a few seconds and then Usagi heads for the door. "Help me out, please… I'm very new at this… Hotaru, you have the experiences of being a teen I never got… and Setsuna, you've been an adult… forever. I could use your advice…" Usagi winks back at Pluto… which adds even more fuel to the fire.

Hotaru giggles and is glad her friend has gotten out of her funk from a moment ago. Her other friend is not happy, though.

"Are you calling me old?"

"You don't look at day over 20, honestly…" is the last thing Setsuna hears before Usagi disappears into the shop. Saturn looks at the Senshi of Time and the two exchange glances.

"Ready, Hotaru?"

"Sure…"

There's a short pause before the young woman says anymore. "I've never been in a place like this before…"

"I'm not sure what Usagi's going to recommend for you but I have a feeling she'll try and get you something… if you want, I can help you out."

"Sounds good… I'm not ready for anything really 'adult' anyways…" Hotaru says while trying not to blush anymore then she already is.

A silent nod is all the response Setsuna gives before both women head inside the store. They don't go very far before spotting Usagi, who's chatting with one of the sales associates… and sends a nod their way after they enter the store.

"It's about time you came inside…" the pink haired woman mock chides. "I've been talking with Jessica here about what to buy… and I think she's onto something…"

The sales associates turns and looks at the new arrivals, her long red hair swishes freely as she quickly bows and then points at an area in the back. "Your friend was looking for something nice and comfortable… so I'm sending her back there. If there's anything else I can help any of you with, please ask... I'm sure you will be able to give a better opinion then a total stranger like me…"

"Thanks… but we still might want another opinion… this girl can be picky…" Setsuna admits aloud, causing Usagi to sigh.

"Just let me know…" is the reply from Jessica before turning to help another woman who has just entered the shop.

"Time to get down to business… since I'll be staying at your place, Puu, I don't want to make any more trouble for you any more then I already have. I've gotten all the clothes I need and now I just need some bras and panties…"

"Usagi… you're not making any trouble for me. Let's see what this place has…"

Setsuna and Usagi head over to the section of the store pointed out earlier by Jessica while the ever curious Hotaru, despite her embarrassment, wanders around the store a little, her eyes gazing at the different clothing hanging from the walls.

'I've never seen some of these things before… this is 'adult' fashion, huh…'

After finishing with her new customer, Jessica notices Hotaru looking a few things and asks her if she needs any help.

"Me? Umm… well… I don't know…"

"Is there anything in particular you like?"

"Well… I like the color purple…"

After looking at Hotaru's jacket and outfit, that much becomes clearly obvious to Jessica. "That definitely is your color… I think I can recommend some styles that'd be perfect for you…"

"Well…" Hotaru takes a glance over at her friends, who seemed to be engaged in an enjoyable conversation… and even laughing at each other. "Okay… my friend Setsuna seems to be all the help Usagi needs right now…"

"Great! Follow me…"

Jessica shows Hotaru around a little bit, doing her best to offer things that the teen might like and in her color, of course. Usagi and Setsuna are so caught up in their talking that they temporarily forget about their friend.

"You're going to buy how many?" Setsuna asks again, to make sure that she heard right.

"Fourteen. Two week supply should be fine…"

"You must've brought back a lot of money, then… these bra and panty sets aren't cheap…" the Senshi of Time says while holding up a price tag. "You must've robbed a bank on your way over to my place…"

"Haha. Since you have some extra space, I can have my own lingerie drawer. Having that many won't be a problem."

"That's true. We've settled on a few styles here for you, some basic, some lace, a few push ups… but what colors do you want?"

That comment makes Usagi pause for a second to think. "Pink of course… and white… and maybe that sky blue over there. I'm not totally pink obsessed…"

"You could've fooled me…"

Feeling like something is missing, Setsuna realizes that their third party member is absent. "Where's Hotaru?"

"I don't know…" Usagi begins looking around the room and spots her friend. "Hotaru! I'm ready to make my selections and I want your opinion. "

"Coming…" the teen says happily, carrying a few hangars with her.

Usagi notices the hangars and is happy that her friend decided to check out a few things here. The former Chibi-Usa points out the different styles that she had an eye on and gets feedback from her two friends. It isn't long before she has everything picked out…

"Let's get all of this over to the changing room…" Usagi says while gathering the sets together. The three head towards the changing room, though Setsuna sees something interesting along the way… and decides to investigate further.

"You two go ahead… I think Hotaru can give you all the advice you need…" is her line before leaving the group. The Senshi of Saturn is more then happy to give advice to her best friend as she changes into the various sets…

'Usagi seems happy right now… I'm glad. She's been through a lot and I want to help her make the best out of this situation. After all, she came back to help us all out…'

Usagi herself is thinking about her friend and how helpful she's being…

'Hotaru's doing great… and maybe I can help her a little, too. I look and feel good about my new self and being with my friends makes me feel even better…'

"You're just like a supermodel, Usagi…"

"Thanks… I think so, too." A wide grin forms on Usagi's face. "Your turn… I get to give you some advice now…"

Hotaru blushes. "I don't know… I'm a little embarrassed about all this… but that nice lady helped pick out a few things…"

"When us Senshi are off duty, we need to be and feel comfortable and look good. You're only going to get better looking in the next few years, so you need to be ready now… I'm sure the boys are already lining up to try and ask you out…"

"I know a few that might but…"

"But?"

"I'm… not sure if I'm ready yet."

Usagi gives her friend a hug. "I think you are, you just need some more self-confidence, that's all…"

"Maybe…"

After taking a few seconds to deliberate what to do, Hotaru decides to show her friend the two different sets she picked up. Usagi says nothing until the first set is modeled… and then she gives some positive comments about the way in makes her friend look. The process is repeated for the second set, giving Hotaru a little confidence boost about herself.

Meanwhile, Setsuna is looking through a few things when the sales associate from earlier heads over and decides to follow up with Usagi's request.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Well… maybe. I kind of like this style here… but I want it in black…"

That gets a nod from the young woman who wholeheartedly agrees with that choice.

"Black would be an excellent choice for you… there might be some on the other side of the display over here… let me take a look…"

A quick search is made and a few sets are found in black, much to Setsuna's delight. She checks the tags and looks for her sizes. Inside, she's a little surprise that she's getting caught up in all this…

'Usagi must be rubbing off on me… I've never even given this kind of lingerie a second thought before… she's already changing the future…'

"Please let me know how that turns out for you, and if you have any questions or need anything else, just ask."

"Thanks, I'll let you know…"

After a gentle knock on the door to the changing room, Setsuna waits for a response from inside. She hears her two friends giggling inside…

"Can I come in?" she asks, this time vocally.

"Sure…" is the response from within.

A quick twist of the knob opens the door… and reveals a very curious sight to Setsuna…

"Looks like someone's about to go out trolling for guys…"

Red quickly covers Usagi's face after hearing that comment.

"PUU!"

"Umm… do you think I'm doing the same thing, too?" a very soft-spoken Hotaru asks a moment later.

"No… I was just kidding. You both look fine… though that's a very fancy bra, Usagi…"

"Well, since I do have a nice figure, I want to show it off a little… even if no one's able to see…" is the soft reply back. "And speaking of trolling… what's that in your hands?"

"Since we came all the way here…"

Setsuna pauses to sigh aloud. "I figured that I might as well get something, too. I want an honest opinion from both of you… since I've already told you what I think of your outfits."

"That's fine…" Usagi says with a nod.

"Of course, Setsuna…"

The two sit down and take a breather while Setsuna undresses and tries on her new lingerie… all the while feeling a little nervous. She steps in front of the mirror when she's done and stares at her own reflection…

'Is this really me? I've never wanted to look… sexy before…'

Inwardly, Setsuna has to also admit that it was more then just Usagi's arrival that triggered a few thoughts about this. 'Am I destined… to always be alone?'

After seeing her friend spaced out in front of the mirror, Usagi begins waving her hand in front of Setsuna's face. "Puu… Puu… are you there?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry…" is the slightly embarrassed reply back. "So… ummm… what do you think?"

The first reply comes from Hotaru. "Very pretty… nice lace design. Black really works for you!"

"You look great… you'll get a man for sure with that ensemble…" Usagi says with a wink. "You're definitely bringing sexy back to the Senshi…"

Instead of getting mad, Setsuna just plays off that comment…

"I might but old fashioned but I can look good, too…"

Usagi smiles. "Yeah. This has been real fun… I haven't done anything with any of my friends in… in... years," she finally said softly with a tear beginning to work its way down her cheek. Shaking her head and wiping the tear away she tells them, "I kept mostly to myself and my training. I kinda lost touch with my parents during that time, too… I guess they thought it was because of the other Senshi…well... you know."

"Usagi…" Hotaru says before giving her friend a hug. "We're here to help…"

"I wouldn't dare think about changing the future… but of course, there can be exceptions…"

"Thanks… and yeah, this is one good exception to that rule. Let's get our stuff together and I'll pay for it... and then we can go home…"

"Sounds good to me… and thanks for buying everything!" Hotaru says happily.

"Anything for my friends, anything…" is the warm reply back.

End Part B

Start Part C

As Usagi and her shopping group arrive home, another group of women get together for dinner in Makoto's apartment. Hushed tones about, despite the joy of seeing each other again.

"I still can't believe this… I mean, I know you weren't joking about what you saw- the looks on your faces were proof enough. What the hell kind of future is this?" Rei says while poking her chopsticks at her food.

Ami has some more to add to that. "It seems like there has to be more to this story… maybe Rei and I were involved in the confrontation somehow. Did she mention us… or where we were while that attack was going on."

"No, no mention of you two. We saw Chibi-Usa run out during the fighting, just after I…" Minako gulps. "After I killed Setsuna…"

"I'll never feel the same about the future again, I'm sorry to keep saying this, but that vision was so incredibly real… it was like I was living out my own future life, the anger I felt was incredible… and that scares me." Makoto says before glancing at the others. "I never want to hurt my friends or anyone else like that… I know I'm no killer…"

Luna hops up on the table and addresses the Inner Senshi.

"There has to be a reason for this… I think Ami and Rei are right to be curious about their whereabouts and involvement in this incident. Maybe they should visit Setsuna as well, it could give us some more clues about this mystery."

"And hopefully a way to fix this, I feel so bad about this… and the future that we all fought for…" Usagi says in a depressed tone.

Seeing no reason to wait on this, Ami makes a suggestion. "Are you busy tomorrow night, Rei? Maybe we could head over to her place after dinnertime?"

The Senshi of Fire thinks about that and after remembering her dinner date with her boyfriend, nods her head. "As soon as my date with Yuuchiro is done, I'm available. Let's see if we can get some more information on this… and maybe some time with the sacred flame wouldn't hurt, either. We'll get to the bottom of this, don't worry…"

"That's what I like to see, teamwork!" Luna says happily. "I know you girls can figure this out…"

"I hope so…" Usagi says warily. Minako and Makoto nod their heads and give Usagi a reassuring pat on the shoulders. "We don't blame you, so cheer up. How can we judge you on something that hasn't happened yet?" Makoto says in an effort to cheer up her depressed friend.

"You could give us some tips, though- you have had the longest relationship out of all five of us…" Minako adds, trying to find another way to get Usagi talking and to break her out of her funk.

That comment has the desired effect and Usagi perks up a bit. "Well, it's all about trust… and knowing the other person. Communication seems to be a big deal between us, whether it's words or more physical things…"

The other four girls start staring at Usagi- since her face has begun turning red.

Rei sees a chance to tease her friend and takes it. "Is there something you're not telling us, Usagi?"

"More physical things, huh?" a winking Minako says, adding to her blonde friend's embarrassment.

"Now now, let's not get carried away…" Luna says, not wanting the others to go overboard with this.

"It's not what you think… you two are both perverts, you know!" the blushing teen says while trying not to yell.

"Okay, we believe you." Makoto shrugs her shoulders. "Maybe we need more male friends… Ami, you were friends with your boyfriend before it became romantic, right?"

Ami shyly nods her head and Minako snaps her fingers.

"That's it, we need more friends first!"

The brunette chef smiles and nods her head. "I think you're onto something here- that does make a lot of sense."

"Yeah- that's what you two need! Get some more friends and learn about them, then find one that has a good vibe and common interests…" Usagi says enthusiastically.

"That's the spirit, I'm glad to see you using your head like this, Usagi…" Luna says while placing a paw on her future queen's hand. "Just be careful, though… you don't want end up getting close to someone that wants you just for your looks!"

Minako whips her hair around and winks. "Well, I could see how that could happen…"

"Me too…" Makoto chimes in, albeit a little softer then her blonde friend just did.

"Oh no, we're not getting into another argument about this… just because you two have the biggest…" Rei says before getting interrupted.

Luna rolls her eyes. "I didn't come over to hear you about you five argue about bust size again- let's talk about something else."

Ami also wants to avoid that subject and makes a suggestion. "I have an idea… about our future problem. Maybe there's some new enemy out there and it causes us to turn on our friends… or maybe it possesses us…"

"Good point, Ami. I'll look for any new enemies when I do my next fire reading"

The Shinto priestess makes a note of that on a piece of paper and then leaves it on the table. "We should take notes about this problem… this could be the worst crisis that we've ever faced as a group."

"Excellent thinking, Rei. Any ideas or suggestions about what's going on, girls?" Luna says while open the door for debate.

Usagi responds first. "Maybe someone's manipulating Pluto's visions… I know that sounds weird but…"

"No, it's a good thought" Ami says, trying encourage more input from her friend. "We've fought foes that have changed reality before, it's certainly possible."

"We've got to think about what the aim of that would be, too…" A small frown appears on Rei's face as the thinks about that statement some more. "Make us turn on each other, split us up… make us hate one another… create chaos."

As the discussion continues and more ideas are written down, Luna is impressed by the cooperation between the five. She's also happy that Usagi has cheered up and her friend's have really controlled themselves and not blamed her for anything they saw- 'It hasn't happen yet, it can be changed' is the thought passing through the feline's mind as the list of possibilities grows.

All is not cheery, though… inwardly both Makoto and Minako are feeling a little guilty. Despite all of the suggestions, the feelings and emotions the two felt in that vision make them think that at some point in time, something happens that's so terrible that it makes them want to go to that extreme. Inwardly, they're scared and also disappointed that they'd be doing something like that… but try not to show it to the others.

After the nine o'clock chime is heard from Makoto's clock, Luna begins to yawn. Makoto gets a special treat out her fridge for her friend and the black cat happily eats the tuna before finding a warm, quiet corner of the living room to turn in for the night.

The five Inner Senshi clean up the table and Ami puts her computer away, having just checked for messages from boyfriend. After changing into their pajamas and setting up their sleeping bags, the five teens engage in some girl talk- wanting to catch up on the week's activities and drop the future subject, at least for tonight.

"Since everything's calmed down after last year's Galaxia invasion, I think I'm going to give volleyball another try"

"You're a natural with that, I'm sure they'll have you on the team without giving it a second thought. You can make some more friends there and well, meet some guys, too." Rei says while elbowing Minako, who's sitting on her left.

The brunette grins. "Minako and I like visiting the arcade, that's another place to at least start some conversations. We're not giving up on this!"

"That's right, we're not!" is the reply from the blonde Senshi of Love. "I mean, it can't be right that the Senshi of Love has no boyfriend. I just won't stand for that!"

Usagi gives her friend a reassuring pat on her right shoulder. "I want you and everyone to be happy, just like I am with Mamo-chan. Ami and Rei have serious boyfriend's…"

"And we want them, too. I'm not looking for anything casual…" Makoto adds while blushing slightly.

"We've all come so far… since meeting each other. We're no longer girls, but women…"

Rei likes what Ami just said and adds some comments of her own. "Good point, Ami. We're talking about real stuff, adult life… real relationships."

"Speaking of that… I took your advice, Minako- I never knew a sweater could be an attention getter" a thankful Usagi says, remembering Mamoru's reaction to her in that tight fitting sweater.

"Great! I know it worked well for Makoto and me… and even heard that a few other women in our group got some sweaters recently… among other things" the blonde Senshi of Love says with a wink, glancing at both Rei and Ami.

That comment gets Rei a little miffed and causes Ami to blush. "Hey, I've got an important date coming up tomorrow! Your idea is fashionable for this time of the year… I wonder who came up with that idea?"

"Probably a woman wanting to make something for other women to show off their curves or a guy wanting the same thing, who knows?" Makoto says while shrugging her shoulders.

"I'll be wearing mine tomorrow…" Ami boldly volunteers while trying not to blush. "I like the way it makes me look and Urawa is coming over for lunch- to meet my mother."

"Go Ami!" is the common cry from the other four teens, causing the Senshi of Water to blush even redder. Despite that, however, Ami wants to talk more about this and get some advice.

"I want to do something with him after lunch, spend time together out of my apartment. Any suggestions?"

"Hmm… maybe you could go down to the arcade for a while. I'm sure there's some games you can play together, or against each other" Usagi says, remembering one of her favorite pastimes. "You're actually getting good at some of the games…"

"Unlike Usagi here…" Rei quips.

"I bet I'm better then you…" Usagi retorts.

"Am not!"

"Am too!"

Ami shakes her head. "Something's never change. I like your idea, though… I am trying to do more things besides study and read- I want to be more… fun."

"I bet Urawa would like that" Makoto says while a small grin forms on her face. "Maybe he'll give you another kiss"

Softly, Ami mouths the word "Maybe" before shyly turning away. 'I hope so, I'd like to kiss him again, that was such a rush the last time.'

Wanting to turn the attention to someone else, the brunette Senshi turns to her "meatball-head" friend. "I bet Usagi here still finds way to have fun, despite the constant questions from her folks about where she's going…"

"I do, Mamo-chan I carefully plan everything out and he comes over for dinner a lot, I think he's growing on them." Usagi says in a casual manner. "I can't say the same thing about my brother Shingo, though…"

Hearing this comment for the first time makes Makoto even more curious. "Oh? What's he doing these days?"

"He's got a girlfriend and I swear I hear him sneak out once in a while late at night. I think he even had her over one night… I thought I heard a female voice."

"Wow- I guess he's lucky that he hasn't been caught by your parents yet. As strict as they are, he could be in for some real trouble." Rei says with a firm nod.

Usagi totally agrees with her friend. "That's very true, he'd be punished just as bad I was, or maybe even worse!"

"Still, you're the only one that has a sibling out of all us. I've wondered what having a brother or a sister would be like…" Makoto says with a soft sigh. Each of the other three girls looks looks at Usagi and shares a similar thought.

"Me too"

"Same here"

"I've always wondered about that, too"

Nearly overwhelmed by this sudden desire for information, the future Queen Serenity takes a deep breath and prepare to explain the good and bad points to her friends.

"I only have a brother, but let me tell you…"

The Senshi of the Moon goes on for almost twenty minutes talking about her brother, mentioning the good and the bad times and the pro's and con's of having a sibling. After that's done, three of the five women go to sleep- leaving Ami and Rei who head into the kitchen and talk there…

"I know this sounds unusual for me to say this, but I'm a little worried, scared even about what we could find out tomorrow. I have a bad feeling about this- the way those two described what happened and the emotions involved has me really concerned."

"I feel the same way, too…" Ami says before taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "The future has me worried, too- both the near and distant future. I was thinking that maybe it'd be a good idea to talk to Urawa about this…"

Rei nods her head. "Well, you did tell me before that he does know who you are. Yuuchiro has no idea about my identity as Sailor Mars. Maybe some input from someone that isn't a Senshi could give us a fresh lead… so I'd say yeah, go for it."

"I agree, I'll ask him about that tomorrow, as long as he's not too distracted by…" Ami words fade to a whisper and a red blush covers her face.

Sensing her friends' embarrassment, the Senshi of Fire decides to tease her a little, in a playful, non-malicious way. "Distracted by what? Come on, tell me… what are you up to, Ami?"

"I… am looking forward to showing him some of the new clothing items we purchased. The sweater and that new bra and panty set make me feel…"

"Go on…" Rei says softly, not wanting to push the issue too much.

"Sexy" Ami says before putting a hand over her mouth.

A wide grin forms on Rei's face. "Ami, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. You got all of that stuff for a reason… and at least you didn't say that you were going to show that new sleepwear set of yours- then I'd be worried"

"Worried?"

"That my friend was out to seduce her new boyfriend"

"No, I'm not thinking about doing things like that…" Ami says shyly, though inwardly admitting to herself that she'd like some comments from him about her looks in whatever she happens to be wearing.

Rei, seeing how embarrassed Ami is as a result of this conversation, decides to stop teasing her friend before crossing any lines. "Anyways…"

Surprisingly, Ami is quick on the rebound and asks a question of her own. "Tell me about… your situation. You've been dating Yuuchiro for a while and you even mentioned going to a ski lodge with him- I'd be more worried about you doing something then me…"

The normally fiery Rei has no immediate reply to that and tries not to blush. "I umm… well, I want to spend some more quality time with him. We've been kind of busy lately and with this future business coming up, it's cutting into our dating time. School's out for a while so I…"

"I envy you, you've got the courage to do that, be bold in these matters. I'm still a little… shy about them…" the Senshi of Water says softly.

"It just takes time, Ami, and some confidence. Spend more time with him and you'll find things get easier to do and to say" Rei says reassuringly.

"I hope you're right…"

Ami suddenly has an idea and presents in to her friend. "You and I are in a different situation then the other three, a middle ground between getting a boyfriend and a long term relationship. I think we should trade information with each other…"

Rei snaps her fingers together. "Good idea, Ami. I think you and I need to get some sleep, though…"

Ami looks up at the clock in Makoto's kitchen and notices that it's already 10:30 P.M. "It's getting late and we both have long days tomorrow. I'll call Setsuna in the morning and tell her that we want to stop by."

"That sounds like a plan, I'll call you when I'm done with my date, since I'm going out to dinner and you're going out for lunch and some arcade time"

The Senshi's of Fire and Water turn in for the night, happy about their conversation but at the same time filled with a sense of worry and dread about tomorrow's meeting with Setsuna. Both try to focus on the positives of the day, though- their dates with their respective boyfriends. It isn't long before the next day arrives…

To be continued in Chapter 6: Sunday, Sunday

The title of the next chapter is a parody of an old song by the Mama and Papas called "Monday, Monday".and how the day is generally the most dreaded day of the week. (In a traditional work week in most parts of the world)

Look for the meeting with Setsuna along with the 2 dates in the next chapter… and don't forget, Christmas is coming up soon in the story and real life! Comments are appreciated! Don't forget to check out the three links at the start of the chapter for some neat fan art from this story!


	6. Chapter 6: Sunday, Sunday part A

Chapter 6: Sunday, Sunday

Thanks to everyone for their support and feedback for this story! I m glad you like my outside of the box idea!

In chapter 6A I mention the song Bad Girls by Donna Summer. It s copyright Casablanca records, 1979. From the Bad Girls album, the song was sung by Donna Summer and written by Donna Summer, Eddie Hokenson, Bruce Sudano, and Joe Bean Esposito.

Also in 6A is the song Hot Stuff by Donna Summer. This song is also copyright Casablanca records, 1979. From the Bad Girls album, the song was sung by Donna Summer and written by Pete Bellotte, Harold Faltermeyer (Who also did the song Axel F), and Keith Forsey.

Thanks to Johnnyd2 from deviantart for his ideas, I used some of it at the end of part A and also in Part C.

Part A

Before Saturday night is over, Setsuna gets her pink haired friend to promise to fill her in on what to expect on the next days vision of the future, specifically what Ami and Rei do. Despite being pressed into an answer, she slowly nods her head and says sure . Both women have an uneasy night, unsure of exactly what s going to happen as a result of the next set of future revelations.

By the time Sunday morning rolls around, Usagi has made up her mind. I ll tell her everything but I need to get my mind off this until the last second- the memories are so vivid that I can t help but remember every details of what happened. Maybe a quick trip down to Akihabara would cure what ails me

Quietly, Usagi leaves the apartment and heads down to the electronics district of Tokyo. A little while later, Setsuna wakes up and makes herself some breakfast and is surprised to find her friend gone- with no note indicating where she went.

Usagi, I hope you re okay, you should leave me a note at the least- I ve had enough surprises lately and don t want any more

A soft sigh of relief escapes Setsuna s lips as Usagi returns ninety minutes later, carrying a large box.

I was wondering where you were at is the chiding reply from the concern Guardian of Time.

Sorry about that Usagi says apologetically. I forgot to leave you a note

It s okay Setsuna says while moving closer to her friend and her box. So, what d you get?

It s a secret- I ll show you after I try it out first I have to get ready for our little chat

Knowing what chat her friend is referring to, Setsuna refrains from asking any more questions and nods her head, leaving Usagi alone.

Give me about ten minutes, okay?

Sure, no problem is the reply back from Setsuna while she sips at some morning tea. Usagi heads to her room and closes the door and unpacks her new treasure while back out in the front room, Setsuna wonders what was in that box especially since her friend didn t mention where she went shopping.

A few minutes later, the sound of music is heard in the apartment causing Setsuna to instantly have an idea about her friends purchase.

Sounds like some kind of radio but I already had one in that room. I wonder why she got another one?

The Senshi of Time tries to pick out the song that s playing but fails. Her curiosity is peaked once again a few minutes later when a very different tune begins playing, the beat and music are totally unfamiliar to her.

I could ve sworn I heard Usagi singing just a second ago and what kind of song is that? I think I ll go and check it out

A gentle knock on the door to her room causes Usagi to say Come in , she pauses the song a few seconds later and turns to greet her friend.

I heard your music and I was wondering Setsuna stops speaking after catching a glance of her pink haired friend. Usagi, what are you doing?

Huh? Is something wrong?

You were singing and dancing along to music in your underwear is the reply back in slight disbelief.

Oh, yeah I guess I was A slight blush appears on Usagi s face. I was just testing out my new karaoke machine and I was trying on some of my new stuff from our last trip. I think I m almost used to having these I didn t get a chance to get used to them before they got bigger and bigger is her reply while looking down at her chest and pink lingerie.

After seeing her friend s reaction, Setsuna nods her head. I know you were having balance problems sorry if I sounded shocked. You didn t grow up like everyone else did

No, I guess not. I do have to say that despite what s going on, I m liking being a woman a lot

A smile forms on Setsuna s face. I m glad to hear that

Grabbing a nearby microphone, Usagi offers her friend one to help test her new machine. I got two microphones, why don t you sing along with me?

Maybe the next song I m not familiar with the song you were singing in English

Okay, you ll sing with me on the next one then and then we can have our talk. I got several different music types with the machine check out the listing on that set while I sing, the paper is on my bed. I hope you ll like my performance, Puu

Setsuna grins. I m sure I will

After sitting down on the bed, Setsuna takes the sheet of paper into her hands and begins studying the list of songs while Usagi restarts the song she had been singing.

One, two a one two three!

Usagi takes a deep breath and then begins singing along with the song it only takes a few lines before a shocked expression forms on her friends face but she says nothing as Usagi enthusiastically dances and sings along

Toot toot hey beep beep

Bad girls Talking about the sad girls Sad girls Talking about the bad girls, yeah

See them out on the street at night, walkin Picking up on all kinds of strangers If the price is right you can score If you re pockets nice But you want a good time You ask yourself, who they are? Like everybody else, they come from near and far

Bad girls Talking about the sad girls Sad girls Talking about the bad girls, yeah

Friday night and the strip is hot Suns gone down and they re about to trot Spirits high and they look hot Do you wanna get down Now don t you ask yourself, who they are? Like everybody else, they wanna be a star

Sad girls, sad girls You such a dirty bad girl Beep beep uh, uh You bad girl, you sad girl You such a dirty bad girl Beep beep uh, uh

Now you and me, we are both the same But you call yourself by different names Now you mama won t like it when she finds out Her girl is out at night

Toot toot hey beep beep

Hey mister, have you got a dime? Mister, do you want to spend some time, oh yeah I got what you want You got what I need I ll be your baby Come and spend it on me Hey mister Ill spend some time with you With you, you re fine, with you Bad girls They re just bad girls Talkin about sad girls Sad girls Hey, hey mister Got a dime?

Toot toot hey beep

Author Note: The song above is Bad Girls by Donna Summer. All copyright information is at the start of this chapter.

Let me guess, this is your new theme song

Huh? a confused Usagi asks. Puu, what do you mean?

Ever since you got here you ve been you ve been quite the influence on me and Hotaru

Yeah, I guess so but I don t think I m a bad girl, do you? is Usagi s reply back with a mock pout.

Seeing her friend s expression suddenly change to one of sadness, Setsuna shakes her head. No, I don t sorry if you thought that s what I meant

It s no problem there s something about the title and the song s beat that really drew me in. I m sure I may seem a little bit naughty to you and Hotaru it could just be that you re not used to me being an adult with adult thoughts and feelings

That s probably it but you certainly keep things interesting

Usagi rolls her eyes. Now that s the understatement of the year! Every time I come back to the past I seem to get into trouble and this time is no exception- only difference is, I can fend for myself

True, you aren t a little girl any more, we don t have to worry about anyone kidnapping you

A large grin forms on Usagi s face. If someone even tried to do that, my Pink Sugar Garnet Rod would show them a thing or two

Pink Sugar Garnet Rod?

Yeah, I just took your name for it and combined it with my old attack it s better then calling the rod blood red or something like that and I do have some special moves that combine your attacks and mine

That intrigues the Senshi of Time and makes her wonder out loud what kind of attacks those could be.

I ll tell you but then you have to do one thing for me the pink Usagi concedes.

And what s that?

Sing the next song from this disco set with me

I suppose I could is her reply after a brief pause. Setsuna grabs the other microphone and takes a deep breath. Okay, I m ready

Happy that her friend wants to sing along, Usagi skips forward to another song in the series and then turns around and looks at her friend.

I m ready but you re not

Huh? I just said that I was is the confused reply.

You re wearing too much Usagi says while trying to keep a straight face which lasts for only two seconds after that comment.

Setsuna immediately realizes what she meant by that the laughter a moment later confirms that notion. I m not dancing around in my underwear!

I know I was just kidding with you, Puu let s get started then

After rolling her eyes, Setsuna takes a moment to think about her mischievous friend from the future. She s not bad, she s just acting out on feelings and desires she s never really had before and since she didn t have time to adjust to them like most people, she s a little forward with them. I d rather having her speaking her mind then keeping a secret

One, two a one, two, three!

The words appear on the screen and then the two women begin singing aloud to song #2.

Sittin here, eatin my heart out waitin Waitin for some lover to call Dialed about a thousand numbers lately Almost rang the phone off the wall

Lookin for some hot stuff baby this evenin I need some hot stuff baby tonight I want some hot stuff baby this evenin Gotta have some hot stuff Gotta have some lovin tonight I need hot stuff I want some hot stuff I need hot stuff

Lookin for a lover who needs another Don t want another night on my own Wanna share my love with a warm blooded lover Wanna bring a wild man back home

Gotta have some hot love baby this evenin I need some hot stuff baby tonight I want some hot stuff baby this evenin Gotta have some lovin Got to have a love tonight I need hot stuff Hot love Lookin for hot love

Hot, hot, hot, hot stuff Hot, hot, hot Hot, hot, hot, hot stuff Hot, hot, hot

How s that hot stuff baby this evenin I need some hot stuff baby tonight Gimme little hot stuff baby this evenin Hot stuff baby got to I need your love tonight I need hot stuff Lookin for hot stuff Gotta have some hot stuff

Sittin here eatin my heart out no reason Wont spend another night on my own I dialed about hundred numbers baby I m bound to find somebody home

Gotta have some hot stuff baby this evenin I need some hot stuff baby tonight Lookin for some hot stuff baby this evenin I need your love baby Don t need your love tonight

Hot stuff Baby this evening I need hot stuff baby tonight Yes, yes, I want some hot stuff baby this evenin I want some hot stuff baby tonight Yes, yes, yes now hot stuff baby I need your hot stuff baby tonight I want some hot stuff baby this evenin Hot stuff baby Got to I need your love tonight

Author Note: The song above is Hot Stuff by Donna Summer. All copyright information is at the start of this chapter.

You really know how to pick the good songs Setsuna says in a half-serious tone.

Well it s natural to want to be with someone and that s part of the reason why I m here. Our fellow Senshi couldn t be with people they loved and it drove them to kill not to mention all of the other things my mother directly or indirectly caused

True I d like to hear some more about this future especially how Ami and Rei fit into this scenario- since they re going to be over here later

Usagi puts the microphone down and then sits on her bed. Setsuna does the same thing and waits for her friend to tell her more of the story that is the future. When she says nothing and takes a few deep breathes, Setsuna becomes concerned.

Are you okay?

Yeah I ll be fine. Give me a second and I ll tell you what you want to know

While waiting for her friend to start, another thought creeps into Setsuna s mind. She said it was natural for the Senshi to be with someone they loved I ve never had any relationships of that nature, I ve always been alone. Talking to Usagi and listening to music like this makes me wonder if there s someone for me I do have needs and desires like every other woman, I ve just ignored them until now.

The inner thinking by Setsuna is interrupted by the sound of Usagi s voice.

Okay, I m ready. Here s what happened just after that fight with Minako and Makoto

Usagi begins relating the somber and heart-breaking tale of what happened next the events that led to even more chaos and death. Despite being on the verge of tears several times during the telling of the story, Usagi bravely continues.

One second they did all that?

Yes, they did. This whole attack was planned out to the smallest detail from what I could see. I wasn t exactly the strongest fighter out there and when Rei cornered me, I tried to use Luna P to defend myself

Ah and then she got

Burned to a crisp and destroyed by Rei. I ve never seen her shoot so many arrows so fast that was a fire of rage, of death

Oh

It wasn t long before Ami appeared at the same time Helios came to help me out. He couldn t stop them and he was killed right in front of me! I thought I was going to die, too

Usagi lowers her head and begins to cry.

Usagi I m sorry I had to ask about this Setsuna says reassuringly while patting her friend on the shoulder.

Really it s okay. I need your help to fix this and to show the others what s going to happen. I can only talk about it you have the power to show visions of the future from points of view other then mine. We need to see more then just what I was thinking to fix this

Good point but thank you for telling me about this beforehand. I won t be as overwhelmed as last time I hope

No problem but don t you want to hear about what happened next? I can tell you who stopped Ami and Rei and what happened after that

It s okay, you ve told me enough, I don t want to see you hurting anymore

Thanks Puu Usagi says while trying to cheer up.

Not a problem. I think you need a little break from all of this and I ll be having guests over later so I was thinking that I could show you a place to relax for tonight, to refresh your mind and body

A very curious Usagi looks at her friend with an expression of delight, her mood instantly changes. Where s that?

Let me get the brochure I went there a few times since I came to this time period. It d be the perfect place for you to think about things- and besides, I m sure you re not in the mood to see Rei or Ami right now

Usagi shakes her head. Not yet there s still too much fear and hate in my mind when I think of them

I ll be right back, okay?

Silently, Usagi nods her head and wonders about this place that her friend just mentioned. Across town, in Michiru and Haruka s apartment, the Senshi of Neptune and Uranus have something on their mind which they bring up while eating breakfast with Hotaru.

You ve been spending a lot of time with Setsuna lately- not like that s a bad thing Haruka says carefully in an effort to keep this conversation low key.

She could certain use some company Michiru chimes in.

Oh, we ve been having lots of fun lately I like sleepovers over there! is the gleeful response from Hotaru, who continues eating her rice.

That sounds good, no problems with cake or anything a grinning Haruka says, not being able to resist bringing that up again.

No, no cake is Hotaru s reply back, with a hint of sadness. She tries her best not to reveal anything that would jeopardize her friends mission.

Is something wrong? Michiru asks softly.

No well maybe but you ll have to ask Setsuna, I really can t explain the problem

A hushed Oh is the reply from both of Hotaru s guardians as they carefully consider that thought.

What kind of plans did you have for today? Haruka asks in an attempt see if anything else is on Hotaru s mind.

Hmm I was going to work on some homework- so I don t have to wait until the last minute to get it done. Some of my teachers gave out winter projects

Lucky you Michiru says with a grin.

At least it s not too much but I think I should get started. Thanks for breakfast!

Hotaru bows and then makes her exit, leaving the other two outer Senshi to think about what just happened.

That was weird, to say the least. She normally not one to keep secrets

You re right and she seemed a little troubled and reluctant to even tell us about it. That has me worried, Michiru

Something doesn t feel right about all of this- ever since she started doing those sleepovers I ve had a bad feeling. There s more to the future then we might realize

Definitely more then cake- maybe we should stop by and see if we can find out what s going on

The Senshi of Uranus and Neptune talk more about this subject as they clean up the table from breakfast and debate how exactly to approach Setsuna.

Over in Hotaru s bedroom, the young woman has arranged all of her assignments on her desk, several textbooks are also open on the far side of the desk. Despite this preparation, though, she doesn t start her homework. Thoughts about the future creep into her mind- the mere fact that her friend Usagi has come back from the future has thrown Hotaru for a loop- not to mention witnessing her own apparent suicide.

After plopping down on her bed, Hotaru turns her head and notices her large shopping bag from yesterdays shopping excursion.

That was fun but what s the point if we can t change things? I don t want to die and I don t want to lose the one I love like Usagi did, either. All of us have fought so hard to save this planet and we end up destroying each other- this can t happen!

Tears begin flowing from Hotaru s distressed eyes she doesn t want to lose faith in herself or her friends- or in the hope that there can be a happy future. Only one question remains then- how to make that happen?

End Part A 


	7. Chapter 7: Sunday, Sunday part B

Start Part B

As Sunday moves on, lunchtime is fast approaching and a nervous Ami is giving herself a once over in the mirror.

Looking good, Ami. No need to be nervous the more mom sees him the less she ll be worried. This is the first step

After brushing her hair and adjusting her glasses, Ami is ready for the challenge ahead. A series of Pings are heard and Ami s mother knocks gently on the door.

Your date is here Ami

I ll be right there

After taking another quick look in the mirror and taking a few deep breaths, the Senshi of Water is ready for whatever lies ahead. She opens her door and finds Urawa standing outside of her room, waiting for her.

Ami, it s good to see you is his happy reply once he lays eyes on his girlfriend.

Same here is Ami s reply, along with a slight blush.

Feeling a little bold and wanting to make a good impression, Urawa steps forward and gives Ami a quick hug, which causes her blush to deepen.

I m always happy to see Ami Urawa says while turning to look at her mother. You mentioned that you already had lunch ready, Misses Mizuno

Yes, it s already set up at the dining room table. Please have a seat and I ll get us something to drink

Ami watches her mother leave the room with a smile on her face- leading her to believe that so far, first impressions are good. Silently, she heads towards the table and then nods her head.

Urawa did you want to sit next to me?

Of course and your mother certainly picked some good looking lunch- did you tell her that I like sushi?

Ami nods her head and sits down, her boyfriend takes the seat next to her and watches as she looks over the food on the table.

I don t remember that last time we ate sushi at home, it s been a while

A moment later, Ami s mother returns with three glasses of steaming green tea. She notices both her daughter and Urawa eyeing the food and smiles.

I take it you like my surprise Ami

Yes, it looks delicious!

I agree with Ami, I can t wait to eat! Urawa adds with a grin.

Please dig in and I hope you don t mind if I ask you a few questions young man

No problem

Ami watches out of the corner of her eye as her mom starts asking her boyfriend questions, fully aware that her mom is also doing the same- trying to see if her daughter reacts to any of them.

When you d two first meet? comes up eventually and Ami boldly decides to field that one.

About three years ago and we ve been friends ever since

That s good- I m glad that you two aren t rushing into anything, though I m surprised that my daughter didn t say anything about you before

Ami s mother looks at her embarassed daughter who then shyly turns away. We haven t been dating that long we ve been just friends up until recently.

Ah, okay I was just wondering- Ami s normally very shy about these things and as her mother, I m just a little concerned, that s all. You seem like a very nice person and that s why I wanted to talk with you

Urawa nods his head. Of course, it s no problem. Ami s one of a kind- I don t mind the questions at all

My daughter is very precious to me and I just want to make sure she s in good hands

Ami s face turns as red as the tuna sushi she s eating, causing her mother to sigh.

I guess I should stop with the questions before Ami s face explodes

Urawa leans over and gets a better look at Ami. I think that d be a good idea

Here s some money, Ami mentioned that you wanted to go to the arcade for a while. I ll be here when you get back- take your time, okay?

Silently, Ami nods her head and after giving thanks for the food, tugs at her boyfriend s arm. The pair make a quick exit leaving Ami s mother to wonder if she did a little too much questioning for the first time. Ami s so self-conscious but as her mother, I m worried about her and want to make sure that she s in good hands. I think that she is

Down at the street level, Ami breathes a sigh of relief, sending a cloud of mist into the crisp, cold winter air.

I thought you were going to explode back there

That s not funny Ami says softly while glaring at her boyfriend. I just felt a little embarrassed by the situation

You shouldn t be- I think your mother likes me and lunch went pretty well. Why don t we go visit your favorite arcade? I heard from Usagi that there s some games that you can beat her on- and she s a big arcade junkie, meaning that you must be pretty good.

You read my mind

I can t do that anymore Urawa says with a soft chuckle. After that crystal was removed three years ago, I lost my ability to predict things

Ami is surprised to hear that. Oh I had no idea. I never did ask you about that

It s okay, I m doing just fine without it. It forced me to get better at reading people and their body language

The Senshi of Water decides to test out his abilities. What do you think I m saying now?

Hmm Urawa pauses and studies the young woman for a moment. He can see that her blush has decreased and the red on her cheeks could be due to the cold. Her body posture, despite her quiet nature, indicates confidence about herself and the need for some affection, at least in Urawa s mind.

I got it

Yeah? is the hopeful reply back. What happens next takes Ami by surprise- she finds herself in a close embrace with her boyfriend, who gently caresses her hair.

Ami whispers Good answer and enjoys the close moment before gently pulling away.

You re good but I want to see how good you are in the arcade as well

You re on!

After a brief walk which feels like a bit more then that due to the cold weather, the couple arrives at a nearby arcade and steps inside, taking a few moments to warm up their hands before playing any games. Ami gets some change from one of the machines and walks up to one of her favorites thanks to Usagi s prodding about getting her to do something fun

Are you ready? is the question from the anxious Ami, wanting to be sure that her boyfriend was ready and that his hands were warmed up.

Dropping the coin into the slot, the young man says Yeah, let s play! and picks out his character.

After three matches in a row, Urawa is convinced that what he heard from Ami s friend Usagi is true. She can be quite deadly at this game but let s try another

I want to play you on something else, you re too good at this one

Ami s modesty causes her to blush. Okay, pick another game then

On purpose, Urawa picks another fighting game on the list that Usagi gave him. How about that one? he asks, pointing to one in the far corner.

Ami peers over at the game in question. Okay The pair head to the back of the arcade and find two people already playing on the four person game. Urawa instantly has an idea

Want to play on the same team?

A happy nod confirms that request and the pair put in their coins. The two teens look at the pair and grin

I hope you two are ready for a fight, my buddy here is no slouch when it comes to this day

Urawa softly chuckles. You might not have to worry about me but my girlfriend, that s another story

Ami blushes and turns her attention to picking out her character, saying nothing. The other two teens do the same thing and the game is on. During the course of the first round, Ami and Urawa are beaten though not by much. Ami feels better after warming up her skills and leads the way in round 2, her team winning by a small margin.

That was just a fluke the older one says before Ami gives a determined nod. Perhaps not

Before anyone can say another word the words Round 3 are uttered from the machine. Utilizing skills learned from Usagi and Rei, Ami helps Urawa in the beat down that is round 3. Needless to say the losers are not amused.

Just how in the hell did you do that?

I had good teachers they re much better then me but I picked up a few pointers Ami says while trying to keep modest and not appear to be bragging.

How about another try then? the younger opponent asks, wanting to see if this was just a fluke or not.

Sensing Ami s reaction and the way she was acting earlier leads Urawa to suggest that they go but his girlfriend decides to indulge their request.

Okay one more round Urawa says before putting in another coin. He does his best to help out Ami and the game is over in 2 rounds this time- The quiet girl with the glasses wins again, with a little help from her boyfriend

Good job, Ami!

Thanks

I guess you re no joke what s your name?

Ami looks at the teen and shyly replies Ami Mizuno

Well, Ami, I guess my friend and I will have to practice some more- maybe we ll play you and your boyfriend again sometime

Sure, I look forward to that

Seeing her reaction lets Urawa know that she s ready to leave he noticed her mannerisms earlier and suspects that she has something important to ask him.

How about a milkshake?

A wide smile forms on Ami s face. That sounds great!

After bidding farewell to their rivals, Ami and Urawa head upstairs and into the restaurant, which offers a fine view of the street below after they order up one shake and two straws. Despite the overtly romantic gesture of this, Ami wholeheartedly agrees with his decision to share the shake in this manner.

Ami, is there something on your mind. Something about the way you were acting

The young woman doesn t even let him finish his sentence before answering the question. Yes there is

Well, okay you can ask me anything you know

Ami lowers her voice to a whisper. You do know who I am, right?

A slight nod confirms that question, Urawa remembers that his girlfriend is Sailor Mercury from their first encounter three years ago.

Two of my friends saw the future and it was horrible. Full of death and destruction and no love, no companion.

How could they know the future?

One of our other friends is the Guardian of Time. Whatever she sees will happen and that concerns me a lot. I m worried about my friends but also about myself, too. I have a bad feeling about visiting her after our date- but I need to know what happens

I see Urawa pauses to contemplate what he just heard. If I was in your position, I d probably would want to do the same thing. Are you sure that this future is absolute, though?

She s never been wrong before we never did look to see what happened after our 30th Century

Urawa s eyebrows go up. Did you say 30th Century?

It s complicated is about all Ami can say to that. She takes her straw and starts drinking the vanilla milkshake Urawa decides to do the same, causing her to blush as their eyes meet.

This sounds like quite a problem- you said you were going to find out tonight about your own future?

Ami nods her head. Yes, my friend Rei and I will be going together- she has a date with her boyfriend as well

I see- I really don t know what to say besides find out what you can and let me know what you see either way. We ll talk about it and get through this

Thanks

After finishing off the milkshake and allowing a few minutes of silence to pass, both parties stare out of the window at the Christmas shoppers doing their thing.

Did you want to go back now? Urawa asks softly. Ami softly nods her head and the pair make their exit, just in time for the start of a light snowfall. The snowflakes mingling with the air on their walk back makes for a pleasing sight. Urawa does his best to cheer Ami up on the way back- by the time they arrive back at the Mizuno apartment, her mood is considerably improved. After they get inside, Ami is surprised to find a note from her mother on the table.

What s that?

My mother left us a note- she ll be back around 6:30 for dinner, looks like something came up at the hospital

That happens a lot, doesn t it?

Yes, her job is quite involved and sometimes she has to come in for last minute appointments or emergencies Do you get lonely when she s not here?

That question causes Ami to blush slightly and head over to the couch. She motions her boyfriend to sit down next to her and after he does, answers the question.

It does I have my friends but it s still gets lonely here sometimes- you re just as good reading me now as you were when you had psychic powers is Ami s reply back, with a grin at the end.

I guess

Ami rests her head on his shoulder and shyly asks another question. Urawa, we have sometime before my mother comes back- did you want to kiss again?

I was hoping you were going to ask that- and yes, I would

Before he can turn to look at her face he feels his girlfriend s arms wrap around him. He allows his body to slowly lower onto the couch as Ami s blushing face moves closer to his.

Ami

Urawa

The two lovers lips soon meet, the gentle pressure of them against one another is a feeling that both have missed and wanted to feel again. As they get more comfortable with their expressions, Ami s hold around her boyfriend tightens, bring her chest against his.

I had no idea Ami was feeling this strongly about me right now she feels so good! Urawa opens his eyes for a moment and sees tears in Ami s eyes. He gently pulls away and wipes the tears from her eyes.

Are you okay?

Yes I m just happy and scared at the same time. It s been a very emotional day for me

I m worried about you, Ami. You and your friends have a tough problem and I don t know what can fix it, at least, without getting more information

I know- and I want to forget about that, at least while you re here. That s why I was being more expressive of my feelings for you

Urawa smiles and motions her to come closer. Happily the young woman wraps her arms around her boyfriend again and gently pins him down on the couch before kissing him again. Thoughts of Urawa pass through her mind as the exchange loving kisses.  
This is very forward of me to be doing this but I want him- I need him. No one else has made me felt this way

Needless to say this passionate exchange is also surprising to Urawa, who had no idea that Ami was like this. He decides to be a little bold as well and wraps his arms around her and begins rubbing her back, enjoying the soft feeling of the sweater fabric against his fingers.

Mmm, I like that is the soft response from Ami as she pulls away for a moment.

Good. I really like your outfit

Thanks, I think I look nice in it

Nice? It makes you look

A curious Ami wants him to continue and places a kiss on lips before saying Yes?

Umm curvy. Really shows off your umm upper body

Inside, part of Ami wants to call her boyfriend a pervert but the part that takes that as a compliment wins over and she shyly responds.

You noticed- I was hoping that you would

Urawa grins. Is this the same Ami Mizuno I knew from three years ago?

Ami shakes her head. No, I guess not. At least when we re alone I can be more open with you about my feelings and I want to look nice in front of you. I ve never wanted to do this with anyone else

I m glad that I m the first

Ami continues that thought. And the only one

Yeah the blushing Urawa says while allowing Ami s head to rest on his chest. He gently caresses her hair with one hand and rubs her back with the other.

I like this new Ami- I hope I get to see her more often

A small smile forms on Ami s face. Me too. I need to be more open about my feelings and honest with myself. Thank you for helping me do that

Anything for Sailor Mercury

Yeah

The two continue small talking for a while as Urawa helps Ami to relax and feel good with his gentle comforting actions. Around the same time, Rei is about ready to head out with Yuuchiro on their date. She takes a look at the fancy red dress she s wearing with her trademark red heels and smiles. I can t wait to see his reaction to this dress- I better put on my coat so he doesn t see it until we get to the restaurant. I m glad he picked this place- and decided to clean up a little for the occasion

End of Part B 


	8. Chapter 8: Sunday, Sunday part C

Start Part C

Over at the Hikawa Shrine, Rei and Yuuchiro get ready for their evening date. Rei is more anxious about the meeting with Setsuna then the date with her boyfrend- 'I hope I'm not too distracted tonight- I do want answers but I also want to have fun with my boyfriend as well'

"Hurry up, Yuuchiro, or we're going to be late!" Rei calls out from the hallway.

"I'll be right out!" is the loud reply back. 'She's a little feisty tonight- but what else is new? I'm sure she'll calm down once she sees me and the place we're eating dinner tonight'

Inpatiently, the raven-haired teen taps her heels on the floor and waits for her boyfriend, unaware that she's being watched.

'I think Rei needs to calm down- she's in for quite the surprise tonight. Yuuchiro has been working overtime and thensome to earn the money for this dinner and he even changed his look'

Grandpa Hino chuckles after that last thought and heads back to work. 'I hope they have a good time tonight'

Yuuchiro opens the door and then looks at Rei. "Sorry to keep you waiting... woah!"

The impulsive Mars is about to say something but is also taken by her boyfriend's appearance.

'He looks so handsome dressed up like that! He even cut his hair and shaved!'

"You're looking very handsome... sorry about yelling at you earlier"

"It's no problem" The rocker then blushes. "I really like your dress..."

It's Rei's turn to blush. "I'm glad you like it but we need to get going or we'll be late for our reservation" Rei takes his arm and begins pulling him down the hallway. "You can tell me how much you like it on the way down"

After hearing that and seeing his girlfriend wink, Yuuchiro knows that he's in the clear and her bad mood should be gone. 'Thank goodness... I was getting worried there. At least she like my clean-shaven look'

On the way down to restaurant, Yuuchiro cannot help but notice his girlfriend taking occasional glances at him. 'I wonder if she remembers that today is our six month anniversary? I'll have to remind her of that later'

Despite the cold winter air, the Senshi of Fire is feeling quite warm inside. 'Seeing Yuuchiro clean himself up like that for our date is a good sign- he's taking himself and me seriously. I love the way he was eyeing my dress- it's a little flirty but nothing too extreme'

It isn't long before the pair arrive "Chez Italy" Italian restaurant. They step inside and are directed over to a counter to check their coats...

"This is the first time I've had to do this at a restaurant" the clean-shaved rocker comments while handing his coat over to the attendant.

Rei nods her head. "Same here, this place looks really fancy"

Yuuchiro takes another look around the waiting area. "You can say that again"

The two walk over to the Maitre d' who opens his register.

"Do you have a reservation?"

"Kumada, party of two"

The Maitre d' looks down at the appointment list and finds the name. "Yes, I have you down for 5:30- perfect timing. Follow me, please"

The couple follows the maitre d' to their table and has a seat. Both take in the atmosphere and ambience of their surroundings for a few moments before their waiter arrives with their menus. After replying that they need a few minutes to decide what to order, the waiter leaves and the pair talk about food and other things...

"This is pretty fancy, Rei, and I've never heard of half the things on the menu"

"Me either. I'm sure the food must be good, though... you said this place was booked out for the longest time"

"Yeah, it was. Order whatever you want, I got it"

Rei smiles. "Thanks- you're being quite the gentleman tonight"

Yuuchiro blushes as red as Rei's dress. "Thanks... I had to do my best for our six-month anniversary tonight"

A small gasp escapes Rei's lips. "I totally forgot about that- I'm glad someone remembered!"

"Yeah..."

Both teens return their attention to the menu and decide on what they want to order. After calling the waiter over and ordering their food Rei and Yuuchiro have some time to talk about things...

"It's hard to believe it's been six months" Rei says while gently tapping her finger on the table.

"Time sure does fly"

"I've enjoyed it... a lot. You and I have had a lot of fun times together" Rei says with a slight nod.

Yuuchiro defintely agrees with that thought. "Definitely. I'm always looking forward to our dates, like tonight"

"Same here. I think we're making real progress..."

"Rei, I was wondering about that ski trip we talked about"

Hearing that causes Rei to pause. 'Maybe that'd be a good thing to do- the sooner the better. I have a bad feeling about tonight's visit to Setsuna and I know that some time away to clear my mind wouldn't hurt'

Rei presents her thought right away. "How about we go up tomorrow for a few days?"

That comment catches Yuuchiro completely off guard. A measure of nervousness and excitement overwhelm him as he stutters out an answer. "S-s-sure"

A large smile forms on Rei's face. "Great- I know we'll have tons of fun"

Curiosity gets a hold of Yuuchiro and he just has to ask: "Why the rush? Not like I'm complaining"

"Oh, no particular reason... but I have some things I need to think about and a few of them deal with you" Rei says, dodging the main issue in her mind. 'I know Ami's boyfriend knows about her being a Senshi. If I'm serious about Yuuchiro, I should do the same. Between talking about that and the future, whatever it is that I see, I'll definitely have my hands full'

Yuuchiro wonders about Rei's silence and takes a few moments to gaze at her body before the food arrives. 'I really like that dress but I'll give her some more compliments later in private'

Both teens eye their food like hawks. "Well, dinner is served... and it definitely looks good!"

Rei seconds that notion. "Yeah, let's eat!"

While eating her lasagna, Rei steals a few glances of her boyfriend and his spaghetti dish. 'He was staring at me, so I can do the same thing. His dinner looks good, too...'

"Rei, what did you want to do... after high school?" is Yuuchiro's icebreaker while they're eating. Rei notices his attempt to break the silence and thinks about that for a moment.

"I'm not exactly sure... there's so many things I'd like to do and places to see. There's some other things I have to consider, too" Rei says without elaborating on that, not wanting to bring up anything about the Sailor Senshi or the future just quite yet. She decides to ask him the same thing.

"What about you?"

"Well... I do enjoy playing music a lot- I think we need to make another song together for starters. After that, well... I'm sure I'll figure it out soon."

"Sounds good- and I do like your idea about working on some more songs, I have plenty of material that I need record" Rei says, recalling the fun they had recording his guitar playing along her vocals on a song that she wrote.

"Rei, there's only one thing I know I definitely need for the future..." Yuuchiro says, suddenly feeling a bit shy.

The raven-haired girl reaches for her glass. "I'll drink to that- a toast, to us. Six months and many more to come!"

Yuuchiro grabs his glass and holds it up. "Definitely. To us and to the future"

The "Ding" sound of the two glasses gently touches is heard a moment later and the couple drink to their own future, which both hope is a long one together. Rei becomes a little more anxious after the toast due to the subject matter... and the time.

"I think we should go- I don't want to rush you or anything, but I do have to make another stop tonight"

"No problem, let me pay for the meal and then we're outta here"

The clean-shaved rocker calls over the waiter and gets the bill. After paying the bill and leaving a tip, the pair get their coats back and hit the streets, their breaths forming white clouds in the crisp, cold air.

Grandpa Hino sees the couple return and smiles. 'Seems like they had a good time, she's even holding his hand. It's good to see her opening herself up to relationships and life outside of the shrine and her small group of friends'

"Thanks again, Yuuchiro" Rei says sweetly as they head down the hallway. After letting go of his hand, Rei opens the door to her room.

"Come in"

"Sure"

Once her boyfriend is a few steps inside the room she closes the door. Before he can ask if anything's wrong, she gently kisses him on the cheek.

"Rei" the blushing young man says before she kisses the other cheek.

"I wanted to thank you in private for dinner and for the last six months..." Rei says while doing her best to sound sultry and sexy. Needless to say Yuuchiro's blushing and nervousness increase ten-fold as he wonders what she's going to do next.

'She rarely talks like this... though I don't mind seeing her in a mood like this'

Words aren't needed as Rei shows her appreciation for her boyfriend and his wise planning and handsome look...

"You're so handsome..." the priestess says softly before gently kissing her boyfriend again, this time on the lips. He gently returns the kiss and finds himself being pushed back towards her wall as the kissing increases...

"Mmm... Rei..."

Rei feels a need to once again stress something that's been on her mind since they've left. "Yuuchiro- you are looking REALLY good tonight"

"So are you- I wanted to tell you even more but I was kinda embarrassed"

Gently, Rei pulls away a little and looks into his eyes. "Well, I'm listening now. Tell me"

"I love that dress, it really shows off your figure. I hope that didn't sound too, you know..."

"Perverted? Not at all- it's supposed to get your attention, silly" Rei says in a playful tone before sticking out her tongue.

"You look... hot. Definitely hot in that dress..."

'If you only knew' Rei says, thinking of her alternate identity as Sailor Mars and the Senshi of Fire. She has a feeling he wants to say more and snuggles against his chest. The feeling of her upper body is quite distracting to her boyfriend and he finally blurts out what's on his mind.

"Rei, you can be really, really..."

"Yes?" the curious teen asks, wanting to hear more.

"Sexy. Yeah, sexy"

"Sometimes..." is about all Rei will admit aloud though she's very pleased to hear the compliment. 'This is the first time he's ever said anything like this to me. I think we really connected tonight'

Yuuchiro shakes his head. "No, all the time"

"Well, if that's the case..."

"Mmph" is about all the young rocker can say before getting liplocked by his girlfriend once again. Rei turns up the heat and feels his arms circle around her, bringing her body even closer to his. His hands begin rubbing her back and soon move to her hips as the make out session continues. It isn't long before Rei feels some gentle squeezing on her behind...

'That feels good- we're really getting into it here! I'm glad we're doing our best to be honest and open about our feelings and desires for one another'

"Rei" Yuuchiro says, uttering the treasured name of his girlfriend as she pulls away. "That was..."

The young woman puts a finger on his lips. "Very fun. I need to go so I'll talk to you in the morning, okay? We can talk with Grandpa at breakfast tomorrow about our plans"

"Sure, I'll see you in the morning. Have fun visiting your friend"

"Thanks"

With that, the two leave the round and go their seperate ways. Once Rei's outside, she quickly calls Ami on her Sailor communicator to let her know that she's on her way. As Ami waits for her friend to arrive she silently contemplates what she might see at Setsuna's apartment. 'If it's anything like what Makoto and Minako saw... well, I don't know what to do'

The internal admission scares Ami a little and she begins to feel slightly impatient. Rei arrives a little while later and the pair walk in near silence over to Setsuna's apartment... arriving only a few minutes before the departure of another resident of that place.

The pink haired Usagi adjusts her coat and backpack as she makes herself comfortable on the train. She looks down at the directions and does her best to memorize what train she needs to transfer to at the Tokyo station to get to the "getaway" spot Setsuna recommended.

'I can't wait to get there! It's been so long since I've been to a hot spring... and this will give me a chance to think. I hope people don't find it too weird that I'm carrying this rod around everywhere- maybe they'll think I'm a cosplayer or something...'

Back at Setsuna's apartment, a pinging sound alerts her to the arrival of Ami and Rei. 'Here goes nothing- I hope I don't pass out again. From what Usagi told me, this was quite the attack and I'm sure words aren't going to do it justice'

Setsuna opens the door and asks the two nervous teens to enter. "Come in girls"

"Thanks" Ami says politely before taking off her shoes. Rei does the same thing and then apologizes for being late.

"I'm sorry- I told you that'd we'd be here like 45 minutes ago"

"Don't worry about it, your timing is perfect, actually. Have a seat on the couch and we'll get started"

The two teens exchange glances and then sit down on the couch as instructed. Setsuna takes another deep breath and prepares herself for this future vision. "Just breath normally and focus on my rod- this will look and feel like you're actually there- but you're not. Don't panic at anything you see... the vision can't physically hurt you"

"But it can mentally" Ami points out softly, refering to the after affects of Minako and Makoto's "trip to the future" with this Garnet Rod.

"I don't like the sound of that..." Rei says to herself softly, wondering if Setsuna already knows what's going to happen next.

After getting her Garnet Rod, Setsuna sits in a chair directly across from her fellow Senshi.

"Rod of Time, show us the future. Show us what happens just after the last attack by Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter"

The orb at the top of the Garnet Rod glows for a moment and then a bright light blinds all three women. After rubbing their eyes the trio try to figure out where they are...

"I can't see a thing!" Ami says while waving her hand in front of her face. "This almost looks like my mist"

"I agree- but why is this narrow hallway filled with your mist attack?"

Rei gets an answer to that question a moment later as Chibi-Usa runs by, followed closely by the future Sailor Mercury and Mars. The sight of their future selves captivates the two and they're silent for the rest of the vision.

"Come back here you little bitch! We're not done with you!" the future Mars calls out before launching an arrow down the hallway... which just barely misses the pink tween.

"Mercury..."

The future Mercury prepares to do an attack when she sees another person approaching the junction ahead.

"Stop right there!" the male voice calls out. "She's done nothing to hurt you"

"Like hell she hasn't! Her and her mom are responsible for EVERYTHING that's gone wrong, EVERYTHING!" Mars screams out at the figure who steps into the dim light.

"We've already lost our two comrades and we're not going quietly" Mercury adds while preparing to make another attack. She's surprised to see Helios in the light ahead, protecting a very scared Chibi-Usa who's standing right behind him.

"Luna P! Transform!"

Chibi-Usa's trademark ball suddenly comes into view. The young woman reaches out for it... and screams when it's consumed in flames due to being hit from multiple shots from Rei's Flame Sniper attack.

"No, no... no little ball to save you" Rei mocks cruely. "You two are toast!"

"Shabon Spray!"

A fine mist quickly fills the area, reducing visibility to only a few centimeters. Helios nervously takes his sword out from its' hilt and prepares to defend his girlfriend from attack. Chibi-Usa is in shock from this incident and the assassinations earlier and cannot get herself to move as Helios does his best to engage the two Senshi in combat.

Waves of fire and ice fly as Mars and Mercury use their hatred to drive their attacks to new heights of power and devistation. Helios does his best to defend against the attacks but is eventually overwhelmed. Just as Chibi-usa finally recovers from her stupor he recieves the final blows that take his life... an icicle blast followed by numerous firey arrows.

"NOOOOOO!" the young woman screams as her boyfriend falls to the ground. He only manages to utter four words before he dies...

"I love you Chibi-Usa"

Chibi-Usa looks down at the body and exclaims "Oh Helios..." before her attention is drawn back to the two renegade Senshi.

"You're next, I wouldn't be worried too much about him" Mars says while wagging a finger.

"You'll be joining him momentarily" Mercury adds. "We've already lost our future happiness thanks to your mother, the least we can do is take hers away in return"

"But, but..." Chibi-Usa stutters out to no avail. Both Senshi begin walking forward and prepare to strike when Mars suddenly turns to her right and launches an arrow into the darkness.

"Is something there Mars?" Mercury asks while walking over towards her friend.

"It felt like it..."

The last feelings of guiltiness leave the hidden attack as he makes his move, running his sword through his former friend before she can even react. The dying Mars tries to make one last attack while Mercury uses her Shine Aqua Illusion attack and hears a "DAMN"

"It's you!" Mercury cries out after the figure steps forward. Chibi-Usa is happy to see her rescuer.

"Father!"

"Run, I'll take care of this" King Endymion exclaims before turning his attention back to his former friend. The sound of Chibi-Usa's shoes hitting the stone soon disappear as the young woman runs for her life while thinking about her father and praying that he will win.

"I see you took advantage of your knowledge of our abilities to sneak up and kill Rei"

"You're one to talk... all of you! How could you do such a thing? Pluto's dead... and you killed Helios! Not to mention all the innocents that perished with the first wave" Endymion says while inching closer to his opponent.

"Ask your wife... and part of this is your fault, for not even taking the time to think about or question anything that was going on. Now it's too late!" Mercury says, her voice laced with hate and venom. "My only chance at love is gone and now my friends are, too. I will avenge Mars and the others, if it's the last thing I do!"

One of the most difficult battles ever fought by either Mercury or King Endymion in their lives follows. Mercury immediately launches off mist to hinder her opponents and any others that might be coming to join the fight and then does her best to strike with her water and ice attacks while dodging the sword strikes by the King. She lands several hits as the attack moves down the hallways and corridors, weaking the King and nearly freezing part of his leg.

Running low on energy, King Endymion has no choice but to try for a direct assault yet again. For the first time again any of the four renegade Senshi, he is forced to use some of his rose attacks. After several misses, a ring of roses finally manages to hit its mark. The rose petals release their power and paralyze Mercury who desperately tries to make one more attack as the sword is plunged towards her body...

Despite experiencing a freezing sensation in both his legs as a result of being hit with Mercury's last ditch attack, King Endymion forces his freezing hands to plunge the sword forward, piercing Mercury clean through.

"I'm sorry..."

Much to the King's surprise, he hears a response from the body on the floor. "So am I... but at least I'm at peace now... thank you..."

With that, Mercury dies. King Endymion immediately turns away and looks down at his blood soaked sword and blood soaked hands.

'There's so much blood- on this sword and on my hands. I killed all four of them! I didn't want to do it but I had no choice. When the Queen hears about this and the attack on our daughter... well, I don't know what she'll do. Why did this have to happen? Why?'

King Endymion walks away from the dead body of Sailor Mercury and the vision comes to an end. There is utter silence in the room... tears flow without let up from all three women's eyes...

'I had no idea it was this horrible! This was a big conspiracy and all four Inners were involved with it. I wonder what happened to Uranus and Neptune? Are still alive at this point or are they gone as well?' Setsuna thinks as she wipes her eyes.

"That... can't be us... it just can't be!" the frustrated Rei cries out, angry, sad and upset about what she just witnessed. "This is even worse then the end of the world visions I had before we found Hotaru- at least that was believable"

"It's the truth... ask Makoto and Minako. It may not be something you guys are capable of doing now- but ask them how real it felt. How did it feel to you?" Setsuna says while trying to incite her friend anymore then she has to.

"Be honest- I know I'm sick to my stomach right now- but this will happen. That was you there, killing Helios and destroying Luna P in your attempt to kill Chibi-Usa"

Silently, Rei nods her head and acknowledges that, despite her pride and other things telling her not to accept this fate. Ami, who has been quiet, wipes her eyes and speaks, almost in a whisper.

"I believe what Setsuna says- this is too real from a feelings point of view not to be. I felt my future self's pain and suffering- something drove her over the edge. I wasn't able to pull that memory up but it did have something to do with the future Usagi"

"Same here, I had that same feeling" Rei adds.

"I'm sorry I made you face that but..."

Rei waves her hand gently. "No, we asked for this and we needed to know- not only for our sakes but for the whole teams' sake and for the sake of our own futures"

"I hate to ask this, but have you looked into what happened to the others? We already know about ourselves, Makoto and Minako, and Hotaru"

"Actually Ami, I haven't looked at what happens to Michiru and Haruka yet. I'm almost afraid to but I know I'll have to- and soon. This mystery is too important to ignore"

"You can say that again" Ami says while slowly getting to her feet. "Thanks... for showing us the truth..."

Rei also stands up and speaks softly to her host. "Yeah... I guess I'll have something to thing about tonight. I definitely know how Makoto and Minako feel right now"

"Are you two going to be okay?" the concerned Setsuna asks as they get their jackets and make their way to the door.

"Honestly... no..." is Rei's parting comment before putting on her shoes and leaving. Ami silently stares at the Garnet Rod and then looks at Setsuna, her expression filled with sadness, guilt, and shock.

"I'm sorry Ami"

A silent nod is all Ami will do in response to that before leaving. The silence in the apartment is deafining... Setsuna only sees one way to get her mind off this, at least for the moment.

With the passage of one hour comes several empty containers of sake and a passed out Setsuna who is laid out spread-eagle on her bed- getting drunk was the only way the Senshi of Time could think of to escape...

Over in a mountain resort in north central Japan, the former Chibi-Usa unpacks her stuff and immediately undresses. Grabbing a towel from the bathroom, she opens the other door to her room and steps out into the frigid winter air.

"Brr! It's freezing out here! Good thing I only have to walk a few meters before I get to the hot spring!"

Carefully but with much haste Usagi walks over to the edge of the hot spring. She retucks her towel to make sure that it's secure and then steps in. The water immediately warms her body and soul, causing her to relax. She gently puts her Garnet Rod off to the side and titls her head back, giving her a good view of the night sky.

'It's the same sky as the future, nothing's changed in 1000 years. Down here on Earth, well... lots of things have changed'

Sadness overcomes Usagi as she reflects on the incident that she described to Setsuna earlier in the day. 'I know now why they did it... and how bad it is to be an adult without the one you love. I really miss Helios...'

"Helios... Helios..." the pink haired woman mutters to herself softly as she lets her muscles relax. Different emotions flood her mind as she speaks the name of her beloved- a few ideas and thoughts pop into her mind that she hadn't thought of before. 'So this is what it's like... to think like this, to desire something or someone like this...'

Out of the corner of her eye, Usagi notices her Garnet Rod flash for a moment. She wonders aloud if it's reacting to her thoughts and focuses again on her lost boyfriend.

'Why is it reacting like that? I wonder...'

A thought comes to mind, a long shot at best. "Here goes nothing- I want to see my Helios, wherever he is in this time period!"

Usagi closes her eyes and puts all her thoughts and prayers into her wish that she just uttered. Much to her surprise, the rod begins glowing and a suddenly a flash of bright light blinds the pink Usagi for a moment.

"Where am I?" a voice calls out a moment later.

Usagi's eyes flutter open again and she tilts her head in the direction of the voice. "Helios?"

"Is that you... Chibi-Usa?" Helios says while looking around, his vision being impaired by all the mist from the hot springs.

"HELIOS!" is the happy cry uttered by Usagi as she stands up and gets out of the hot spring, finding her future boyfriend standing near the edge of the pool.

"Chibi-Usa?" he asks again, recognizing the voice but not the appearance.

"You're alive!" the pink haired girl says before grabbing her friend and holding him in a tight embrace... causing him to blush profusely.

'Is this her? She's even older then that one time she aged to an older teen. It has to be, no one else sounds like her. She was able to bring me here or summon me so this has to be real... not a fake jump in age'

Helios clears his throat and looks at his grown up friend. "It's good to see you, too"

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Usagi cries out, tears in her eyes. She contents herself with staring at him as he tries to figure out what she meant by that and what's going on.

'She brought me here... how she did it can wait. Why she saying I'm gone or something like that is quite another matter'

Being a typical male, Helios cannot help but notice how his friend looks all soaking wet and wearing a towel which cover most of her body but still allows him to see just how beautiful and attractive the adult Chibi-Usa really is.

"Ahem. I'm supposed to be gone... or dead?"

"Yeah... Mars and Mercury killed you- but I'm not going to let that happen!" Usagi says strongly.

"You're talking like it's already happened..."

"It has... in the future. I guess I'll have to explain everything to you..."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. How were you able to call me here?" the curious guest asks.

The former Chibi-Usa takes a few steps and grabs the Garnet Rod and shows it to her future boyfriend. "With this"

"That looks like Sailor Pluto's Garnet Rod- but with some red stripes on it, like a barber shop pole"

"The red stripes... are Pluto's blood" is Usagi's sad reply to that. She suddenly begins shivering as the wind suddenly picks up. "Let's head back to my room- it's freezing out here!"

"I second that thought- it is cold here!"

The two shivering souls head inside and quickly close the door behind them. Helios sits down on the bed and looks thoughtfully at his friend, bringing a smile to her face.

"Why don't you wait here? I'm going to change into my pajamas and then I can tell you everything? I don't want to talk to you just wearing a towel" the slightly embarrassed Usagi says, feeling this type of embarrassment about her adult body for the first time.

"Good idea, you're umm... distracting in that..." is all Helios can manage to say before turning his face to the side and blushing.

To avoid further embarrassing herself and her future boyfriend, Usagi quickly walks over to the nearby set of drawers and retrieves what she needs. As she dresses in the bathroom, she does a few poses and looks at her body, wondering what this feeling of excitement and anticipation is...

'Whatever it is... my heart is beating so fast and it won't stop!'

"I'm back!" the cheeful Usagi says as she sits down on the bed next to Helios. "Are you ready for my story?"

"Of course... but I have a feeling you're hiding something. You went from depressed to cheery..."

"Yeah, I know. Seeing you overruled anything else on my mind at the time. I hope you're ready to hear about the future... the "good one" that we were fighting for- like when we fought the Dead Moon Circus"

That comment and the way she phrased it captures Helios's attention instantly. He listens with awe, shock, and eventually, anger and disgust as Usagi's sad tale unfolds. She restrains her own emotions as best she can but is unable to stop crying after telling the tale.

"Chibi-Usa... don't cry... please"

"I can't help myself- the future is so horrible! It can't happen- it won't happen, I'll make sure of that! I need my friends... and my boyfriend!"

Helios, despite feeling a little awkward, moves closer and holds his friend and begins to comfort her. She gently pulls him closer and hugs him... and won't let go.

"You're here now... and I need you. I'm not going to let you go!" Usagi says softly, her sobs now coming to a stop. The closeness to Helios has once again awoken certain feelings within her and this time, Usagi decides to act on them...

"What are you... mmm..."

Helios feels the soft lips pressing against his and reacts accordingly, returning her affection. "Chibi-Usa... you feel this strongly about me?"

"Yes... and please call me Usagi. I'm not "chibi" anymore" the pink haired woman says with a perverted giggle, causing Helios to roll his eyes.

"What have you done to my sweet and innocent Usagi?" he asks in a half-joking manner.

"She's gone forever... at least my innocence is. Seeing all your friends die or kill themselves..."

Not wanting her to cry again or get depressed, Helios makes a bold decision and kisses her, interupting her thought.

"You like me a lot, too!" Usagi happily exclaims after the kiss is over. "I can tell- these feelings I have right now- they're so strong that they're nearly overhwhelming me"

"Your heart is still innocent, I could feel the love in your kiss"

Usagi decides to tease her boyfriend a little. "Same here... and I think you're hiding something from me now!"

"Me? Why do you say that?" Helios says, trying to play innocent.

"You think I'm good looking... I saw you starting at my chest outside!"

"Well, ummm..."

Faced with the possibility of angering his friend in her time of need and wanting to keep things honest, Helios decides to admit the truth.

"To tell the truth, I was. I can't believe this is you... as an adult. I'm very impressed"

"Thanks! I've got the appearance of a 21 year old, though I'm a lot older then that. I'm finally an adult after all this time- there's just a few things that are still unfamiliar to me but I'm figuring them out"

"Oh..."

Usagi gently touches Helios's face. "I want you to be my boyfriend now- instead of later"

"Deal" is the instant response to that. "I want to be here for you and to help with your quest- you've suffered enough and that future cannot be allowed to happen!"

"Thanks, I'm glad to have some help... and to have you, all to myself" is Usagi's reply to that with a wink. Helios cannot help but notice the sultry way in which she said that last part... 'What's on her mind? I hope she doesn't let her emotions run away with her'

"What did you want to do now?"

"Hold you of course"

With a gentle nod, Helios beckons his girlfriend back into his arms. The two silently hold each other in a close embrace and silent mull the future and their new partnership and mission.

"Helios?"

"Yes?"

"Can I kiss you again? That was fun... and it made me feel really, really good..." Usagi says while admitting her innermost feelings. 'I think I figured out what this feeling is- it gets stronger every time I think about my handsome boyfriend'

Seeing no harm in that, the young man says "Sure" and is nearly overwhelmed by the passion in Usagi's lips and the way her hands are roaming across his back. 'What's she up to?'

A quick tug and pull exposes Helios's chest as Usagi gives into more and more of her inner feelings, mainly her primal instincts, and sexual desires and lusts, things she really didn't have before aging to the level of an adult. During the time she was a teen/adult until now Usagi hadn't had a chance to explore this part of herself... until just now. The red blush on Helios's face deepens as he squeezes her behind. 'I know she wants more but I don't want things to get out of control'

"You're so handsome, Helios. I have the best looking boyfriend in the world"

"I umm... have the most attractive girlfriend a man could ask for" is the nervous reply back to that.

"Thanks- I can tell you mean that by the way you were kissing me, the way you were touching me..." Usagi's voice drops to a near whisper. "I hope you don't think I'm being selfish here"

Helios shakes his head. "Not at all"

"I'm willing to do anything to change the future- even if it means that I no longer exist. My friends are the most important thing to me"

The sincerity in her voice and the look in her eyes all but confirms what she just said in Helios's mind. He can sense her need to be held, to express affection- something she really hadn't had a chance to do much of, especially after his future death and her subsequent training. Pulling her into a very close embrace, the blushing Helios whispers his next words.

"I understand- and I want to help you. You're not alone... and now, neither am I"

A gentle nod is Usagi's reply before lips move forward to meet his. This time, the couple doesn't hesitate and explore their feelings and desires for each other... both let their hands roam around a little and let their curiosity run wild.

After a few minutes of making out, Usagi feels the last button of her top being released followed by a gentle push on the garment, causing it to drop to the ground. The deep blush on her face intensifies as she looks at her boyfriend who's eagerly staring at her bountiful chest.

"Helios, do you like what I'm wearing?"

"You are... incredibly attractive in that pink bra... it's very... sexy" Helios gulps after saying that, realizing that this is the first time he's ever uttered the word "Sexy"

"I'm new to the world of adult fashion... but this one called out to me. Lacy and elegant... and it shows off my figure" Usagi says before looking down at her chest. 'I am curvy and I like it. I think he does, too. Talking about things like this makes me feel less awkward about this'

Her boyfriend gives a 100% honest answer to her last statement. "Yes, it does"

The two lovers look at each other and wonder what to do next... there's an almost uncomfortable silence for a minute before Usagi boldy makes a request, one she'd never thought that she'd make, even in her former dreams about Helios.

"Stay with me, please. At least for tonight. I know you have other duties but..."

Part of him wants to stay and part of him says this is wrong... but the "stay" part seems to be growing with every passing second- Usagi's current state of dress cannot help but tilt the scales in that direction even more. "Usagi... I..."

"Please" the pink haired woman says in a pleading tone.

The feelings pouring through his own body plus the desire to help out helps him make a reply to her request. 'I hope that we can figure things out. She's intoxicating- I've never felt like this about anyone before. It's been a short time since I've seen her yet she's lived many lifetimes since then and yet she wants me just the same'

Breaking the silence, the young man says "I'll stay" before pulling Usagi back into his arms. Her energetic kiss is her way of saying "thank you" as his body falls back against the bed"

"I love you Helios"

"I love you, too... my lovely Usagi"

End Chapter 6

To be continued in Chapter 7: The Week Before Christmas

See everyone again soon! Hope I've been keeping you on your toes with this story! 


	9. Chapter 9: The Week Before XMAS part A

Chapter 7: The Week Before Christmas

Part A

Monday morning is crisp and cold... the winter weather is very apparent on the windows of Usagi's hotel room, rime lines the windows, blocking the view outside. The pink-haired woman turns and looks at her boyfriend who's sleeping soundly right next to her...

'I can't believe we did that... last night was so intense! So this is what being an adult in love feels like... and what sex is all about. No wonder people want to do this all the time'

A small smile forms on her face as she gets out of bed and heads to the bathroom. After glancing at herself in the mirror, Usagi hops in the shower and lets the warm water dance across her naked body, washing away the sweat for last nights activity...

Ten minutes later, the now clean Usagi emerges from the shower and steps back into the main room, Helios is still sleeping.

'I don't want to wake him up- maybe I should get dressed and get some breakfast, I could bring back something to eat for him'

While Usagi gets dressed, Helios stirs a little but doesn't wake up. Usagi, dressed in her pink outfit, leaves the room and gets some breakfast from the lobby...

While Usagi eats her breakfast, back at Setsuna's apartment, the Guardian of Time slowly wakes up, her eyelids heavy despite the long period of sleep she just had...

'What a hangover!'

Rubbing her eyes, Setsuna tries to wake up. 'I wonder if Usagi had a good time last night- that was a nice resort. Maybe I need to take a trip over there myself and soak in some of their hot springs'

Another thought comes to mind but Setsuna dismisses it, despite noting how the soft raven black silk pajamas makes her look. 'Usagi's definitely getting thoughts into my head'

Setsuna heads over to the bathroom and takes a few aspirin before heading into her kitchen to make some breakfast. While doing so, she thinks about her friends Michiru and Haruka and decides whether today might be a good day to chart one their visions more fully.

Around 10 A.M., Haruka gets a phone call... which takes her by surprise.

"Say that again?"

"I need you two to come down here tonight... it's important"

"I can tell you're serious" Haruka says, noting her friends' tone of voice.

"Yeah, I want both of you to stop by. There's more to these visions that I've been having then just cake"

Resisting the urge to make a joke, Haruka just nods and says "Yes" She takes a deep breath and then speaks again.

"We'll see you at six P.M. then"

"I'll be waiting" Setsuna says before hanging up the phone. A soft sigh escapes her lips as she realizes what the latter half of her day will entail. The urge to get a drink grows within her but she dismisses the thought and sits down on her couch. For the first time in a while, Setsuna turns on the television and immerses herself in the program, oblivious to the rest of the world...

Back at the hot spring resort, Usagi has since returned from breakfast and had a pleasant conversation with her boyfriend... both are still in some shock over last nights events and exchange occasional glances at each other while he eats...

"This is delicious, thanks for bringing it over"

Usagi smiles. "No problem"

"I'm going to have to leave after I'm done eating but..."

"Can I call you?" the giggling Usagi says with a wink.

"Umm... yeah... I guess you can summon me again tonight if you want" the blushing Helios says before turning his eyes downward at his breakfast.

'She looks so good... and last night was incredible! I do want to see her again soon but this is still a little sudden'

"I'll call you later tonight and..."

"Yes?"

Usagi switches to a sultry tone of voice to tease her boyfriend. "Maybe I'll wear something in white- I've got a few things I think you'll like"

"I umm... look forward to it" is his nervous reply before gulping. "I think I should be going umm... I'll see you later..."

"Okay, see you later"

Helios stands up and flashes his girlfriend a smile before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, leaving her alone with her thoughts- a mix of nervousness and excitement.

'I've never felt like this before... I've never desired something like this before... tonight is going to be interesting to say the least'

The Inner Senshi spend the day together on an impromptu shopping trip, taking advantage of last minute sales and a chance to get the last of their Christmas shopping done in an effort to put their current crisis out of their minds, at least for the day.

As the afternoon turns to evening, light snow flurries fill the air, dancing down from the sky and landing on the pair of Outer Senshi who have just stepped outside...

"I have a bad feeling about this" Michiru admits aloud while looking around at the swirling snowflakes.

"I do too... it's a lot more personal then the feelings we had before about the end of the world. That and the way Hotaru spoke to us early... is definitely not a good omen"

"Do you think it's a new enemy?"

Haruka shakes her head. "I honestly can't tell, and in some ways, that's the worst part of it. Not knowing what's going on and being unable to stop the evil. Hopefully Setsuna will fill us in"

"I hope so, we've fought so hard to save this planet on many occasions, we can't let that go to waste"

"That's right"

The pair pick up the pace towards Setsuna's apartment, not aware of the character about ten minutes ahead of them heading to the same destination...

"I'm back!" Usagi calls out joyfully, happy to be back at home.

"You're back- that's good timing..." Setsuna says before moving closer to give her friend a hug. "I want to hear all about it... but first, I need you to hide out for a little while"

"Huh? Why?"

Setsuna sighs aloud. "I've got Haruka and Michiru coming over. You told me about what to expect... of course, nothing can compare to feeling the true emotions of the events..."

"You must be exhausted from doing this... you've already shown three visions recently"

Usagi notices out of the corner of her eye a sake bottle sticking out of one her friend's garbage bins and knows one way that she's been coping with the aftereffects.

"You could say that..." A "BING" sounds interrupts the conversation. The Guardian of Time tries to smile but fails. Usagi doesn't envy the task in front of her friend and nods her head.

"I'll go wait in my room... hang in there, Puu!"

"I'll try" is the soft reply back before Setsuna answers the door. "Come on in and have a seat"

The pair take off their boots and exchange a knowing glance... Setsuna's facial expressions and tone of voice tell wonders to the pair as they silently sit down on the couch.

"I'm sure you're wondering what's going on" is Setsuna's open line which is quickly answered by Haruka.

"Definitely. Something's very wrong here... Hotaru wouldn't even tell us but we know it's something major"

"It's very easy to notice if she's distracted" Michiru notes. "She wouldn't even tell us, she said to ask you about it"

"And that's why your here. I have something to show you both, about the future"

Haruka goes on guard immediately, fearing the worse. "The future? How far in the future?"

"Past our dealings with the Black Moon family... I'm talking about the 30th Century Crystal Tokyo after that"

"After that?" Michiru is suddenly curious. "I don't remember ever seeing what happened after their attacks on Crystal Tokyo"

"Just what did happen?"

Setsuna grabs her Garnet Rod and taps it on the floor. "Well, you're about to find out... though I will ask for the focus to be just on you two. That's what I did before and it was... overwhelming..."

"Before? How many times have you done this?"

"Three times..." Setsuna says back to Michru. "I hope you two are ready- what I show you is part of the worse crisis we've ever faced"

"Okay, okay- enough of the warning... let's see what you're talking about!" the impatient Haruka says with a mix of nervousness and a need for some action, to see just what the problem is.

"Focus on the rod... and close your eyes..."

All three women close their eyes and then Setsuna calls out "Show me the future of Michiru and Haruka"

Bright light fills the room as the vision of the post-Black Moon family Crystal materializes around them. Unawares to Michiru and Haruka, Usagi has quietly opened her door and forced herself to watch the impending events.

'I know what happens but I need to see the events from their own perspective so I can figure out what went wrong and what I need to do!'

A feeling of void feels the three Outers as they move forward in time. Discord with the Inner Senshi, especially Queen Serenity, begins to show. The wedge between them continues to grow, culminating in an explosion...

"Oh my... was that?" Michiru says softly to herself while trying to come to grips with what just happened.

"No way... Saturn just exploded?" Haruka mutters in disbelief.

Setsuna can barely bring herself to say "It did... Sailor Saturn just committed suicide" without sobbing. Both Michiru and Haruka close their eyes again as tears begin to form...

"How? Why?"

"The answer is in your own future after this point... I can feel it" is the response from Setsuna as time moves forward once again, focusing on the aftermath of Saturn's suicide. The three watch the arguements, accusations, and fights and begin to see a clearer picture of what drove the Senshi of Saturn to kill herself.

The passage of time only made things worse and an impenetrable wedge has been placed between the Inners and Outers... numerous battle and skirmishes lead to no meaningfull change until one final "merciful act by Queen Serenity against the "rebellious" pair...

"What's this feeling? I feel weak all the sudden!" Haruka cries out as she crumples to the ground, soon followed by Michiru.

"We're experiencing what will happen to you... I believe the Queen took your powers away" is the reply back from the Senshi of Time who cannot even believe her own eyes and feelings. 'How could she do something like this?'

"She didn't want to hurt us... yet... yet..." Michiru cries out, tears flowing freely. "This is the end"

"The end?"

Stripped of their powers Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus aged rapidly and their humanity began catching up with them... their powers had been their safeguard against the ravages of time. It was long before time in a figurative sense caught up with them, causing both to pass away with smiles on their faces and the thought that they were finally free of pain and suffering, free the messed up future that they had helped inadvertently bring into being.

Having been hit with a fourth perspective on this carnage, Setsuna's eyes once again flowed with tears...

'The more I see... the more this makes sense and yet doesn't make sense... but one thing I do know is that this future can't happen. This is a total tragedy'

The bright light emanating from the Garnet Rod begins to disapate and then the room begins to return to its previous appearance. A loud metallic clang is heard as the Garnet Rod hits the ground- the sheer emotions of what she's just witnessed causes Setsuna's to loosen her grip on it.

"Are you sure this is the future?"

"Haruka... it is... and this only the beginning of the end. The other Inners would later try to take out Serenity and her daughter... in that battle Venus... killed me"

"You too? Does everybody die?" Michiru cries out in despair.

"I don't know... I know about the four Inners dying... Luna-P gets destroyed, Helios dies protecting Chibi-Usa from harm and then..."

A voice in the darkness of the hallway finishes the sentence. "And then King Endymion dies later as a result of his wounds from the battle with Mars and Mercury"

Haruka and Michiru seem to recognize the voice but are immediately on alert. "Who's there?"

Before the figure can answer that question, Setsuna has a comment of her own. "Wait a second, you never told me..."

"Because we stopped with the events at the end of the battle... that was yet another reason behind my mission" is the cool response.

Once again, Michiru presses the question of "Who is that?"

Saying nothing, Usagi steps forward slightly, exposing the Garnet Rod she's holding to the light of the room.

To say that Haruka and Michiru are confused at this point would be an understatement. "It can't be... another Garnet Rod? What's going on here?"

In a quick movement, the pair grab their Henshin Wands and transform, perceiving an enemy or at least a mysterious force in the dark. Setsuna sighs aloud and Usagi shakes her head. 'It's been a while since I've seen these two... let's see if they can recognize me despite my adult form'

"All right you, come out where we can see you!" Sailor Uranus calls out, wanting to see the person behind the voice.

Sailor Neptune takes our her magic mirror. "I've got a better idea..."

A bright flash of light is shot in the direction of the hallway and hits Usagi a moment later. Two gasps are heard as the figure becomes visible... sporting not only Pluto's Garnet Rod but a sword and hilt on her side and a mirror tucked into her pants.

"Is that the Black Lady?" Uranus says while cautiously moving forward.

The pink haired woman steps forward into the front room. "No, no... it's me silly... Chibi-Usa..."

"It can't be... you're all grown up. Last time we saw you..."

Usagi cuts Sailor Neptune off. "I only looked like I was twelve years old"

"Exactly!" Neptune exclaims.

"Ahem, I'd like to introduce Chibi-Usa once again, though she's from the future after my demise and everyone elses..."

"But please call me Usagi, I'm not Chibi anymore!" Usagi says with a perverse grin, proud of her adult figure.

"Are you sure this isn't some of kind of trick Setsuna?" Haruka says, wanting to make sure before backing off.

"She's the real deal... so please sit down"

Reluctantly, Uranus and Neptune sit down on the couch and watch as the pink haired woman in the pink pajamas that claims to be Chibi-Usa sits down in a chair facing the couch.

Setsuna eyes the two items at Usagi's waist. "I know you had the rod... but you have their treasures, too?"

"Yeah... I saved them after they died... Saturn's was destroyed when she killed herself but I did have these three to train with"

Setsuna nods her head. "So you can use all of our attack plus..."

"Plus my own, though I combine some of my old stuff with the attacks, no more wimpy Pink Sugar Heart Attacks for me"

That comment brings a smile to everyone's faces and breaks the tension in the room. Despite the mental and physical exhaustion they just experienced the three Outers somehow feel relieved and refresh due to the Usagi's enthusiasm and mood as she fills in a few more details and explains what she did after the Inners died.

"So you trained in secret and you were also aging at the same time? That must've been rough on your body" Michiru says, feeling sympathetic for the lost innocence and childhood that Usagi experienced.

"It wasn't easy, that's for sure!" is the response back with a smile. "Still, my mother believed my excuse for the aging and never questioned it"

Haruka is curious after hearing that. "And that was?"

"Simple- it was my time to become a woman. I may look 21 by the standards of this time but obviously I'm a lot older then that"

The three Outers nod their heads and then look at their own weapons from the future which are resting on the coffee table in front of them. Each has red, barber pole like stripes across the length of the weapon.

Usagi decides to "break the ice" again due to the sudden silence. "There was one major problem, though, with the plan"

That gets Haruka and Michiru's attention. The blonde then asks the question: "Oh, what do you mean?"

"I didn't have any of the normal teenager experience or guidance... and the emotions and desires became quite overwhelming..."

"That I can understand" Michiru says with an understanding nod. "I'm sure Setsuna here has been helping you with some advice, since you're staying here"

Usagi smiles. "Yeah, she's definitely been a help. She gave me some advice on another side effect I've had to deal with"

Haruka has to ask, "What's that?"

Usagi grins and puts a hand on her chest. "My balance was off because of these... all of the sudden I started growing boobs and they just kept getting bigger and bigger- though I can't complain about my looks now that the process is done" A wink adds to the effect of the statement, causing Haruka and Michiru to snicker and Setsuna to roll her eyes.

'Usagi's become such a pervert... but she seems more fun this way...' is the passing thought in Setsuna's mind while the other two try to contain their laughter...

Haruka suddenly sports a perverted grin on her face. "Well, she'd be the one to ask about balancing those..."

Michiru gently hits her partner. "That was uncalled for!"

"I'm sorry!" Haruka says while still snickering, presenting an obviously fake apology.

Once again, the Senshi of Time sighs aloud and rolls her eyes. She takes a sip of her tea and tries to relax. Usagi notices her friend's expression and decides to change the subject.

"There's nothing wrong with being... what's the term they use here these days..." Usagi pauses to think. "Stacked. Yeah, stacked. There's nothing wrong with being stacked. I've been trying to give Setsuna some advice of my own... her looks certainly will help with my advice"

"This I gotta hear" the blonde says while trying to be serious.

Usagi looks at Setsuna and the two exchange glances... Setsuna boldly decides to tell the story instead of her friend.

"Usagi has said many times that I... I..." Closing her eyes, the Senshi of Time tries to focus on her next words and sound as serious as possible. "She says..."

This time it's Michiru that's the super curious one. "Yes, go on..."

"She says that I need to find a man"

Silence fills the room... Setsuna prepares for the inevitable smart remark back from her friends but is surprised to hear nothing at all, at least at first. She slowly opens her eyes and sees very serious expressions on their faces.

Michiru smiles and then breaks the silence. "That actually sounds like good advice"

Setsuna is not quite convinced. "Really?"

"You're always alone... except when we stop by. You've spent more time socializing and being normal here in this time then you have your whole life, right? It might not be a bad idea to seek out a... companion"

After saying that, Haruka slips a hand into Michiru's palm and the two grip each other tightly. "Two are always better then one"

"I agree 100%- I found my boyfriend in this time period"

That revelation causes all three Outers to turn and look at the pinkhaired woman who wonders why the surprise.

Usagi can barely contain her happiness. "Helios... I called him last night and he appeared! I was so happy to see him! I told him all about my mission and what's going on and he agreed to help... and to be my boyfriend!"

'That would explain her good mood earlier, no wonder she wanted to talk about her trip. I'll have to ask her more about it later!' is the thought in Setsuna's mind after hearing that.

Michiru smiles. "I'm so happy for you! I remember you two had a special relationship so I had a feeling you'd get together at some point"

"Same here" is Haruka's similar reply.

"It's one of the few things that's happened since I came back that was good"

"It's a start- I'm sure we can figure out a game plan- but we need to all collaborate together" Setsuna proposes an idea. "Why don't you two come back tomorrow with Hotaru and we'll talk some more"

"Sure, this certainly has been one hell of an evening, that's for sure. After that vision, I'm pretty drained"

Michiru agrees with her partners assessment. "Me too. How about we come back at lunch time, maybe we could order something and talk things over during our meal?"

"That sounds like a good idea to me" Setsuna then turns to look at Usagi. "What do you think?"

"Works for me!"

Michiru and Haruka stand up and take one last look at the blood stained treasures on the table, a grim reminder that the vision they just witnessed was quite real. After the two leave, Usagi heads over to the frigerator and gets herself some sake.

"Do you want any, Puu?"

"No- I've had enough of that recently. As bad as this vision was, though... I don't think I'll need that to help me sleep this off tonight"

"Oh, okay" Usagi takes the bottle and saucer and returns to the front room. She sits down next to her friend and wants to start talking about her trip- the shaken expression on Setsuna's face causes her to have pause about that idea, though.

"Tell me more about your trip- did the springs live up to my hype about them?" Setsuna says, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah, definitely. First class all the way... the springs were very nice and had quite a nice view. I feel a lot better..."

"That's good. How's Helios doing? I'm sure he was surprised to see you"

Usagi giggles. "I think the word surprise is an understatement but he was happy to see me. We'll have to get together again soon"

"I was thinking about going there myself, to relax and unwind. All of those visions have really sapped my energy" is the reply back along with a long sigh. "I need something to cheer me up"

"I'm sure it'll do the trick... make sure you get one of those massages they offer- I saw some good looking guys running that operation" Usagi gently elbows her friend, causing her to think about her earlier advice.

'Maybe I will...'

"I'm getting tired..." Usagi says before stifling a yawn. "I'll see you in the morning"

"Okay, good night"

Setsuna watches her friend finish off her saucer of sake and then put the remainder of the bottle in the frigerator. Surprisingly to her, her attention isn't focused on the thought of alcohol but the fact that her friend was so happy with her new boyfriend, a companion. Someone to talk to, be with...

Lost in thought, Setsuna eventually falls asleep on the couch. About an hour later, Usagi wakes up from a short nap and grabs her Garnet Rod.

"Helios... I need you... please appear!"

A poof of smoke fills the room and quickly vanishes, leaving a familiar figure in white in it's place.

"Usagi, it's good to see you. It was getting late and I was wondering if..."

Usagi shakes her head. "I didn't forget. This is my room in Tokyo- what do you think?"

Helios takes a look around the room and can see his girlfriend's touch, the color pink seems to be present in several different things.

"I think you need more pink"

"I think you're right..." Usagi says with a grin. "Sit down, I want to tell you about what happened today.

Without any hesitation Helios does just that and blushes slightly after Usagi leans her body against him.

"Remember what I told you about Uranus and Neptune? Setsuna showed them their future and then I introduced myself... everything went pretty smoothly. We're going to have a meeting tomorrow at lunch- you should stay"

"Well..." Helios thinks about it for a moment. "I guess it'd be okay- I am spending the night with you"

"Mmmhmm" is Usagi's sultry response to that observation.

"And it's for an important reason so okay, I'll stay"

"Good. I want to do something else with you now..."

The red blush on Helios's face grows deeper. "I know... I want to do that again... it was... fun..."

"Very fun" is the reply by Usagi, doing her best to sound sensual. "I promised you something in white"

"Yeah, umm..." Before he can ask anything more he sees the obvious answer to the question as she slowly unbuttons her shirt, not stopping until she reaches the bottom.

"I like pink but white is sexy, too"

"Uh huh" is about all the blushing male can see while staring at his girlfriend's bountiful chest and very elegant and lacy bra. She blushes a little as well while staring at his face...

"Well, aren't you going to take off my shirt? I'm waiting!"

"Usagi- you really are too much for me"

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad" is her reply with a wink before reaching for and removing his shirt. "Much better, my handsome Helios... maybe now you'll be ready to play with me"

"You're very naughty Usagi... but somehow, I always knew that..." is his heartfelt reply before doing as she requested, allowing the pink shirt to fall to the floor.

"I love you and I need you, too. Last night was important for me, too"

Usagi swoons. "Oh Helios..."

A few moments pass by while the lovers exchange thoughtful glances before they come together in a passionate embrace and allow themselves to explore their feelings and desires for each other...

Back in the front room a groggy Setsuna rubs her eyes. 'Looks like I feel asleep on the couch again'

Her thoughts are interrupted by sounds in the distance. 'I thought Usagi was sleeping'

Cautiously, Setsuna grabs her Garnet Rod and silently walks in the direction of the sounds... and pauses near the entrance of the hallway.

"Mmmm..." is plainly echoed through the apartment along with a sensual moan, causing Setsuna to wonder what's going on.

As she moves closer to Usagi's door, the noises get louder and louder and she can swear that she hears a male voice as well.

Without warning to those inside, the door to Usagi's room flies open. "What's going on here?"

Helios moves his head and sees who it is. "Setsuna... I..."

"Eep!"

Usagi blushes and pulls the blanket to cover her and her lover. Her head peeks outside the blanket a moment later and looks back at her friend. "It's only Puu- is something wrong?"

Having caught her friend in a compromising expression, Setsuna is speechless. She can swear that she hears a groan of pain... or disappointment from under the covers as the two shift positions and decides to explain herself.

"Umm... not exactly... I just heard noises... and voices and I wanted to umm..."

"I'm fine- it's just me and Helios having some fun, that's all. I'm sorry if we were too loud"

The embarrassed Setsuna averts her gaze and decides to make a quick exit. "No, it's no problem... I'll see you in the morning"

"Okay, see you in the morning"

With that the door closes and Setsuna makes a hasty retreat to her room. The desire to go to sleep and forget about what she just witness takes hold and she only manages to take off her shirt and pants before hopping into bed.

'I should've recognized those sounds... as ones of love and passion- why'd that worry me so much? Usagi can take care of herself- she deserves to be happy and so do I'

With that thought in mind, Setsuna finally manages to fall asleep for real...

Back in Usagi's room the pair of lovers has been talking ever since Setsuna's surprise appearance.

"That was definitely embarrassing"

"A little- but it's my fault for not telling her that you and I are involved" is Usagi's reassuring reply.

"I suppose..."

Having finished that subject, Usagi returns to the matter of what they were doing up until a few minutes ago. "You're not quitting on me, are you?"

"No..."

"Good..." Usagi lowers her body on top of his and begins kissing his neck. "I'm not through with you, my love"

"Usagi..."

End Part A 


	10. Chapter 10: The Week Before XMAS part B

Start Part B

Late the next morning the two lovers wake up at almost the same time and silently stare at each other, their bodies still entwined under the sheets...

"Good morning, Usagi"

"Good morning Helios- how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good" is the reply back with a nervous smile. "I think we're starting to get the hang of this..."

Usagi kiss her boyfriend on the cheek. "Maybe... but we need more practice"

Helios boldly squeezes her behind. "Yeah... I'm umm... starting to get the hang of this but know I could do better"

Usagi moans aloud as his hands continue their work. "Mmmm... you keep squeezing my ass and we'll need to get in some morning practice"

"Sorry..."

"It's fine- we should get up and see what Setsuna's cooking for breakfast- it's already 10 and I'm sure she's up and waiting for us"

Usagi rolls out of bed and turns on a nearby lamp for more light. She quickly finds her clothes and starts getting dressed... when she gets to her bra she's surprised to feel Helios helping her out by refastening the hooks on the back.

'He must be getting used to me and my sexy body, that's good. He wants bad and now he's getting better at showing me just how much'

Once the hooks have been refastened Usagi says "Thanks" before reminding him to get dressed as well.

"Better hurry or I'll I go out there without you"

Helios wastes no time on getting dressed. "Okay, I got your point- one second"

It isn't long before the pair emerge from the room to an oddly quiet apartment. Usagi sniffs the air and is surprised to not smell any breakfast at all.

"I wonder where Puu is?"

"I have no idea, Usagi"

After a quick search of the kitchen and front room reveals nothing, Usagi quietly opens the door and sees Setsuna inside.

"Wait for me in the kitchen, I'll just be a few minutes"

Helios nods his head and heads down the hallway, leaving his girlfriend to check on Setsuna.

Quietly, Usagi steps inside the room and closes the door. She notes the clothes on the floor and the way her friend is spread out on the bed.

'Looks like she had a rough night' she sadly notes. A sudden twitch, though, causes her to rethink that. 'Is she grinning?'

Bending over the bed, Usagi gets a closer look at her sleeping friend who seems to be enjoying her dream...

"More... please..."

Usagi's eyebrows go up. 'No... it couldn't be... she's actually dreaming about having that kind of fun!'

The pink haired woman notes the lingerie her friend is wearing and mentally notes that it wouldn't be very hard to get someone's attention with that.

"Puu... Puu... wake up!"

"Huh? What?"

Usagi grins. "Someone was having a dream... a very naughty one from the sound of it"

"USAGI!" the now fully awake Setsuna exclaims before sitting up on the bed. "What are you doing in here?"

"Looking for you- it's past ten and I was hungry! Helios and I didn't see you anywhere so I figured you were here. I didn't mean to intrude"

Setsuna blushes and shakes her head. "No problem- I'll be out in a minute"

After her friend leaves, the Senshi of Time gets up and walks over to the mirror and looks at her reflection.

'Before she came back I wouldn't have cared this much about my appearance or even worn stuff like this. Still... this is kind of fun...'

A quick tug on her bra strap straightens out the garment and, satisfied with her appearance, Setsuna gets dressed and meets Usagi and Helios in the kitchen.

"So what are we going to eat for lunch? Helios and I are mighty hungry!" Usagi rubs her stomach to emphasize this point before a loud gurgling noise is heard.

"Just like your mom..." Setsuna ssys with a grin.

Usagi rolls her eyes. "Very funny..."

Helios smiles and looks at his girlfriend. "I recall incidents like that with your mother"

"Anyways..." Usagi fakes a cough and tries to change the subject. "Lunch- what are we ordering?"

"Hmm... we're feeding six people, maybe something large and group related" is Setsuna's suggestion.

After a quick snap of her fingers later the Pink Usagi has the solution to this problem.

"Pizza! How about it, Helios? Doesn't that sound good?"

The prospect of spending more time with his girlfriend is appealing to Helios... and to try some pizza, which he had seen in Pegasus form but not tried, was too good to pass up.

"Sure, I'd love to have some"

Setsuna nods her head. "Then pizza it is, I already know what our friends like for toppings so I'll take care of the order"

"And I'll take care of the refreshments- Helios and I are going to take a trip down to the local 7-11, we'll be back"

A gentle tug on his sleeve is all the coaxing that Helios needs, he follows his energetic girlfriend back to her room and both change into regular clothes before heading out, leaving Setsuna alone with her thoughts.

'I hope we can change things for all our sakes... who would've thought we'd lose everything after winning such a major battle in the future'

Across town, all of the Inner Senshi except for Mars are out on an all day shopping trip/female bonding trip to prepare for the upcoming holldays and to get their minds off of the distant future, even if it is just a temporary respite from the issue. Makoto and Minako have their own personal mission as well...

In Northern Japan two figures appear at the top of a ski slope and peer down the ominous looking run...

"Are you sure you're ready for this? This is a pretty advanced run"

"I'll be fine, Yuuchiro. I think you should worry more about beating me to the bottom, though" Rei says with a wink.

Sensing the familar competitive spirit within Rei manifesting itself once again, Yuuchiro plays along. "It's on now!"

"Good- I'll see you at the bottom!"

With that, Rei pushes off and begins zooming down the snow-covered hill, her boyfriend following close behind. Both exchange the lead several times as they dodge trees and other obstacles... one glance at Rei's face by Yuuchiro speaks wonders.

'She's so determined today... it must be that issue she wanted to talk to me about. Maybe I can ask her about it later'

It isn't long before the bottom of the hill comes into view and both skiers do their best to cross the "finish line" first...

"Gotcha!" is the reply from Rei as she skids to a stop a few meters in front of her boyfriend.

"Just barely Rei- you won by less then a meter!"

"A win is still a win... but I think I've had enough skiing for a while. Did you want to take a break... maybe grab some lunch and then head back to the cabin?"

Yuuchiro rubs his stomach. "Yeah, definitely... I'm getting mighty hungry. Maybe we can talk some more"

"Okay..." is Rei's quick reply, sensing his desire to learn about the issue that's been plaguing her ever since that vision. "Let's talk a little on the way up in the lift, too"

Seeing an invitation to talk, the rocker takes it. "Sure, I've got some questions for you"

Silently at first the pair make their way over to the ski lift... once safely seated they begin talking.

"I'm so glad your grandpa lets up come up here... I was worried that he would say no"

"Well, I am serious about you after all... it's not like we started dating yesterday. You and I are... serious business..." A red blush covers Rei's face and she shyly turns her head a little.

Now it's Yuuchiro's turn to confess something. "I'm serious about you, too. I have been ever since I first saw you"

"Aww, thanks. You're a really sweet guy and you've gone through such lengths to impress me- I was a little overwhelmed at first but now I've come to expect it"

"Oh?"

"And I like it"

Gently, Rei slips her left hand into his right and squeezes it, conveying her feelings at the moment with a simple squeeze. The red on her face intensifies as the lift reaches the top of the hill and the two ski on down to the restaurant.

About thirty minutes later the pair return to the cabin they're staying in and change out of their winter gear.

"I guess we aren't going skiing again today- I saw you ditching the jacket and gloves so I did the same thing"

Rei shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah, my muscles are feeling a little stiff and I thought maybe we could relax in that outdoor jacuzzi you've got here"

Yuuchiro's eyebrows shoot up and the rocker blushes. "Oh... well... maybe I can umm, massage your shoulders then"

Noticing his blush, Rei shyly nods her head. "That'd be nice"

With a combination of nervousness and excitement, both head for their backpacks and head off to seperate bathrooms once they have their swimsuits. Yuuchiro is the first one outside, he quickly turns the jacuzzi on and cautiously dips his toe in the water after it runs for a minute. Rei steps outside a moment later and sees the bubbling jacuzzi...

"How's the water?"

"Give it a minute to warm up"

"I hope it doesn't take long... this towel isn't the warmest thing in the world..." is Rei's quick reply as she begins shivering due to the cold air around her.

'I hope Rei will be more talkative here... something's not right and I can feel it!'

After thinking that though, the rocker dips his toe in the water again. "It's getting better, I think we should just go in now or we'll freeze!"

"Okay..."

Yuuchiro quickly drops his towel on a nearby chair and steps into the warm water. Rei follows suit and slips into the water, relaxing her body as the jets and bubbles work their magic and warm up to the proper temperature.

"This feels good..." Rei comments aloud. "But I could use your hands to help me relax"

Knowing what she means, Yuuchiro takes a deep breath and then smiles. "Sure, I can give you a massage now..."

Rei closes her eyes and tries to relax and clear her mind. "Thanks..."

"No problem"

Yuuchiro begins to massage Rei's shoulders, helping her relax a little. Despite being distracted by her red bikini, he remembers her attitude and demeanor throughout the day and asks a question.

"Is something on your mind... I can tell you've wanted to tell me something..."

Rei is silent for a moment and then speaks softly while rubbing her eyes. "I'm trying my best to tell you... that's why I've been trying to be comfortable as possible, even me being..."

"Go on" is the reply after Rei's pause.

"Me wearing this to feel sexy and to flirt with you... it's still not helping. It's really important and I..." Rei closes her eyes again and takes a deep breath. "I need to tell you... damn!"

Yuuchiro does his best to calm his girlfriend down. "Rei, take your time... we're on vacation here so..."

Rei nods her head. "It's perfect time to tell you. You and I have gotten very close and I need to talk to you about something- your massage is helping me get the courage to talk, though"

"I'm glad to hear it- but maybe you should just relax now- we can talk when we get back inside, okay?"

The soft words from her boyfriend are just what Rei needs and she takes his advice, allowing her body to relax as she enjoys the shoulder massage and the loosening effects of the warm water on her body. She closes her eyes and mentally prepares to talk about a secret that she hasn't revealed to anyone outside of the Senshi...

Once the massage is finished the pair exchange glances and look at the cabin... which looks particularly inviting since the wind outside has picked up, dropping the temperatures even further.

"Run for it!" is Yuuchiro's cry as he quickly steps out of the jacuzzi and dries himself with the half-warm towel before running inside, Rei isn't far behind him. The door is quickly shut and the two teens try to stop shivering...

"Brr, that's cold!"

"You can say that again Rei! Let's get changed..."

The two teens head into the bedroom and Rei grabs her backpack and heads into the attached bathroom. Yuuchiro hangs his towel to dry and then grabs some clothes to relax in...

"Rei, I'm going to change so let me know when you're coming out of the bathroom"

"Okay" is the reply back from Rei who cannot help but grin. 'I'm not that bold to walk in on him doing that... yet. I think my bikini was enough of a tease earlier...'

The Senshi of Fire glances in the mirror at her new pajama combo. 'Not bad at all... functional and flirty'

Rei waits a moment and then calls out: "Almost done?"

"Yeah, I'm done"

"All right, I'll be right there"

After taking a moment to steele herself for the upcoming conversation, Rei is ready. She opens the door and finds Yuuchiro sitting on the bed. She says nothing but sits next to him and rests her head on his shoulder.

Rei speaks, almost in a whisper. "Thanks for being so understanding"

Yuuchiro gets a better look at her outfit and cannot help but blush. "Umm... no problem. Nice, umm... pajamas?"

"Yeah... I call it relaxing wear. Red tank top and red boxer-like shorts..."

A nod is her boyfriend's reply before getting a better look at her exposed legs. "I'm noticing the red theme... but those boxer shorts look like underwear to me..."

"I suppose" Rei coos softly. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No... but I do want to know what's wrong..."

Rei sighs aloud and decides to face the problem head on, finally. "Okay... here it goes. I'm about to tell you something I haven't revealed to anyone besides my closest girlfriends"

Yuuchiro's eyebrows go up, as does his curiosity. "Ah..."

"It's nothing personal against you... we're close and I've got no problem revealing my secrets to you- but this was an exception until now. Something's changed and it's not for the better- but I can't tell you until I explain a few things"

Sensing that she's about to explain the issue to its' fullest, Yuuchiro wisely chooses to keep silent- he reassures Rei with a gentle pat on the head.

"I'm... I'm... Sailor Mars" Rei breathes a sigh of relief. "There, I said it. I don't know why it was so hard to tell you but..."

Yuuchiro interrupts Rei. "No way!"

"I'm not joking, silly" Rei tilts her head and looks at her boyfriend. "I'm the Senshi of Fire"

After gazing into her eyes there's no doubt in Yuuchiro's mind that she's telling the truth, as surprising and shocking as this development is.

"It kinda makes sense, now that I think about it"

That comment surprises Rei. "Oh?"

"Well, something told me you were more then an ordinary woman..."

"Yeah... and there's something about my Senshi form that prevents other people from making the connection to Rei Hino... same goes for my friends. The only way you could tell would be if you directly saw one of us transform"

The comment about "her friends" also makes Yuuchiro realize that her girlfriends must be the other Sailor Senshi that he's seen on occasion. Another conclusion comes to mind as well...

"You've saved me, then... since you're Sailor Mars. You've saved my life..."

"Yeah, I have..." Rei says softly. "I couldn't let you get hurt, my handsome rocker..."

"Thanks"

"No problem"

The two exchange glances and wonder what to do next... when a thought suddenly comes to mind...

"I know this sounds... weird... but can I..."

Rei is curious and prompts him to continue.

"Can I see you transform? I want to see you be Sailor Mars"

It takes a moment for the request to be processed in Rei's mind... she knows that he believes her story and must be curious...

"Sure..."

Yuuchiro watches with much fascination as Rei stands up and takes a few steps back from the bed. Seemingly out of nowhere, she pulls out what appears to Yuuchiro to be some sort of wand. His eyes lock onto her body as she calls out for her transformation and is instantly bathed in light... he says nothing as the process continues and finally finishes with Mars doing her trademark pose.

"Not bad, huh?"

"Yeah, that was kinda cool" Yuuchiro's voice drops off. "There was one part of that process where I could..."

Mars notices the sudden blush on his face and wonders what he's thinking. She walks up to Yuuchiro and looks down at him. "Where you could what?"

"I umm... didn't mean to... but you were, you know, naked for a second there... I could see the outline... sorry Rei"

"I know what happens... pervert" Rei playfully sticks out her tongue. "I hope this is enough proof"

A firm nod confirms her last statement. "It sure is"

Mars sits down next to Yuuchiro and nervously taps her fingers on the bed. "There's more to this story... as a Sailor Senshi, I'm immortal"

"What?" is the shocked reply from the rocker. "You can't die?"

Rei thinks about that and what she's seen of the future and decides to pass the information on. "Well, I can... but I won't get old. That's the other problem... I've seen the distant future thanks to another friend of mine... and it's not good for any us. To say that everyone's unhappy is the understatement of the century"

That concerns Yuuchiro. "That bad, huh?"

"VERY bad" Mars says with much emphasis. "Love... love or lack of being with the ones you love causes everything to fall apart"

Sudden depression overtakes the rocker. "So I can't be with you..."

Rei instantly disagrees. "NO! I need you to be with me... I've never felt like this about anyone..."

After closing her eyes, Rei summons her inner strength and begins glowing... a few seconds later, a crystal appears in front of her.

While Yuuchiro gazes at the crystal in amazement, Rei explains what he's looking at. "This is my pure heart crystal... and even though I haven't looked at it in a long time, I know it's much brighter since you and I've become close... and I can't stand to lose you"

"So pretty... can I touch it?" the curious rocker says while reaching towards the crystal.

"Wait... don't..."

Rei's words are too late as Yuuchiro touches the crystal and is instantly consumed in flames.

"REI!"

Sailor Mars reaches out to try and combat the flames just as the body of her boyfriend falls back on the bed before disappearing in a cloud of ash followed by a soft thump. With the ash blinding her temporarily, she began waving her arms trying to disperse the cloud and find what remained of her boyfriend.

"YUUCHIRO!" she cried, "YUUCHIRO!"

Back in Tokyo, Usagi suddenly feels a sharp pain in her stomach and quickly tries to run into the bathroom, but she is stopped short by a massive dizzy feeling dropping her to the groud where she promptly empties the contents of her stomach on the floor. Setsuna and Hotaru are jolted out of thier surprise by their friends behavior and they are both at their frined side holding her as she shakes wildly causing them both to wonder wonder what's wrong with their pink haired friend.

Unaware of what was happening in Tokyo, Rei was nearing her own panic mode before a voice broke through the haze of fear in her mind and the ash in the room. "Rei... I'm fine..."

With tears in her eyes, Rei moves around the bed towards the voice and sees her boyfriend lying there, apparently unaffected by the raging fire from a moment ago with the sheet haphazardly covering him. "What the hell just happened? I thought you were burned alive!" she cried happily and wiped the tears from here eyes a moment before she was in his lap and hugging him tightly.

"I thought I was a goner but then this warm feeling came over me and the flames were gone," the rocker pulls the blanket over his body a little more as he spoke. "My clothes are toast, though..."

Rei wipes her eyes with relief. "Oh... so that's where the ash came from... and that means you're naked, she suddenly blushes and jumps up after saying that.

Both teens blush and are silent for a moment allowing him a chance to move off the floor and onto the bed to use the sheets to cover himself a little more.

Shyly turning her head, Rei changes the subject. "Anyways... I still don't know what happened. You touched the crystal and then... BAM..."

"For a moment there was this intense heat, then I just felt warm all over... and somehow connected to you, Rei..."

Rei closes her eyes and places a hand on her heart. "You know what, so do I..." She walks over to him and places her hand on top of his heart as well. "We're one now..." she states in awe as she tries to comprehend what she was feeling.

"What does that mean?"

Rei grins. "You gave yourself to me when you touched that crystal, you wanted to be with me more then anything else in the world and the crystal recognized that."

Yuuchiro grins. "Well, I do want to be with you... always."

"You're stuck with me now" Rei says playfully. "No complaints about my temper or attitude."

Now it's Yuuchiro's turn for a joke. "Oh, I know what I was getting into, don't worry. I won't get 'burned.'"

"Maybe... but they do say if you play with fire you're going to get burned and right now I have this urge to..." Rei blushes and looks down at her boyfriend and realizes what she was about to say. But not just what she was about to say, but her whole reason for being here, but ever since that vision she wanted this time, a time to look back on. 'I wanted something special to happen here... it was more then just being alone, the way I dressed and acted... I need him- especially right now.'

"Urge to do what?" is the response from the suddenly playful Yuuchiro who has no idea why he's suddenly "in the mood"...

Silently, Rei knows what she wants... and what he wants, it's as though they are one mind now, one soul. She sits on the bed and then crawls across the blanket and snuggles on top of him.

"Yuuchiro... I love you"

Despite the situation, Yuuchiro has no feelings of nervousness at all. "I love you too, Rei"

Their eyes meet and the lovers reach out for a kiss, igniting the passion between them. Both have one thing in mind- never, ever letting the other go. It isn't long before the passion level increases and the two begin to french kiss with a level of need and lust unlike any they've experienced before. Yuuchiro's hands wander around her back and eventually begin squeezing her behind, causing Rei to moan softly...

"Mmm... more... I like what you're doing..."

Inwardly, Rei feels a little surprised about this sudden escalation of activity but brushes it aside, knowing that he's given her the best present of all- his eternal love. A gentle but firm tug on the back of her neck collar brings her full attention back to her boyfriend.

"What are you doing?"

Yuuchiro seemingly ignores the question and yet answers it at the same time. "There's no zipper..."

Rather then get mad, Rei is very surprised. "Really?"

"Not as far as I can feel..."

After further thought, Rei can't remember any similar situations in the past. "Come to think of it, I've never tried to take off my Senshi uniform before. It must be the magic involved with it... sorry..."

"Oh... it's no problem. You must change back somehow, though" is the obvious conclusion by Yuuchiro.

A grin forms on Rei's face as she gets out of the bed and stands next to it, seemingly grabbing her transformation wand out of nowhere. Once again, Yuuchiro watches his girlfriend change outfits and blushes heavily. Despite her overwhelming feelings at the moment, Rei has a few things to ask before things go any further...

"You want me... forever?"

"Of course... you make me happy and I couldn't stand the thought of you being so unhappy in the future that you would do those terrible things. It sounds like your friends have the same problem..."

"They do... but I think this could be the solution..." Rei winks at her boyfriend. "If the person is the right one"

"Umm, yeah..." is the reply from Yuuchiro who suddenly feels a little nervous, especially after the continued silent staring by Rei.

"I'm a little nervous, too..." Rei admits softly while blushing. "It's like we just got married..."

"I guess that's one way to look at it... lifelong commitment... for all time... with the lovely Sailor Mars"

After recieving another verbal confirmation of his love and dedication for her, Rei gets back into bed, this time climbing under the covers and positioning herself on top of her lover.

"Rei..." is about all Yuuchiro can say as he feels her lower her body on top of his, the soft fabric of her shorts doing nothing but adding to his excitement over the situation. A clear view of Rei's cleavage as she settles her chest on top of his doesn't help matters, either...

"Sexy..."

"Thanks... I can tell you like what I'm wearing... but something's not fair" Rei says in a mischevious tone before tenderly kissing his neck.

"What's that?"

"I burned all of your clothes... so I didn't get to take them off myself..."

Seeing the naughty side of Rei Hino is one thing that Yuuchiro had dreamed about for a long time... and after their last date it was really manifesting itself. This incident with the crystal only serves to bond the two together even more as is plainly evident by Yuuchiro's response.

"Sorry- let me help even the score..."

With a bit of initial hesitation, Yuuchiro's hands head down Rei's back, admiring the soft fabric of the top along the way. After pausing for a quick squeeze of her behind, the rocker reaches under the shorts and pulls downward as far as he can. Rei finishes the job and kicks off the shorts...

"I thought you were going to start with my top..." is Rei's reply in a mock pout as her boyfriend lets his hands wander around on her behind and panties, giving an occasional squeeze.

Yucchiro smiles. "Well, I do like your butt, Rei... and those are some sexy panties..."

"For your eyes only..."

Remembering Rei's words from a moment ago, the tank top is Yuuchiro's next target, he gives a gentle tug downward at first to signal his intentions and then pulls upward. Rei offers no resistance as the top is quickly shed, giving her boyfriend a perfect view of her full figure and sexy red lingerie that she had chosen to wear for this getaway...

"Woah... now that's hot! Red is definitely your color..."

"You should expect no less from the Senshi of Fire" is Rei's reply before going in for a kiss and passionately rubbing her chest against his. Few words are spoken as the two continue exploring their most primal urges, feeling free to do so due to the total commitment that they had showed to each other just a short while ago... both let their hands roam around each others' bodies and it isn't long before the last of Rei's clothing is removed and the playing field is evened out...

Back in Tokyo Usagi has finally has calmed down from her trembling and vomiting, Hotaru quickly asks, "Are you okay?"

"Unnhhh...

"I don't ever remember you throwing up before..." Setsuna adds. "I really haven't seen you get sick, either"

Usagi ponders that thought for a moment. "Must've been something I ate... or maybe it was the sake. I thought I had a tolerance for liquor by this point..."

Setsuna is about to say something about "moderation" but recalls her own recent activity with alcohol, but that does not explain the sudden trembling or her collapsing like that. "I'll make you some green tea... something light for your stomach that'll replenish your fluids"

"I'll help you out- will you be okay, Usagi?" Hotaru asks with even more concern, knowing all too well that it doesn't feel good to be sick.

Help me to the bathroom the girl asks, to which both Setsuna and Hotaru help the girl to the bathroom where Hotaru helps Usagi get cleaned up while Setsuna works on cleaning her floor and is glad that the floor is not carpeted.

"Are you sure you're fine? You look kind of pale"

"Hotaru... I really don't know" is the soft reply back to her friend.

Taking matters into her own hands, Hotaru touches her friend on the forehead and attempts to heal her friends sickness with her special powers. After several seconds and no results, Hotaru is more puzzled then ever.

"Something's not right- I don't feel anything wrong to heal within you"

Usagi shakes her head. "Oh... I don't know then. Maybe I'll take a nap and see if that helps"

Not entirely convinced by her solution, Hotaru makes a counter offer in order to help her friend. "I'll wake you up in a few hours and we'll have some tea, okay?"

"Sure"

Usagi makes her way back to her room and crawls into bed, falling asleep immediately. Her dreams are filled with memories of her new lover and boyfriend, Helios... who has no idea what's going due to his departure after lunch.

Elsewhere in Tokyo, the blonde Usagi has a sudden rush of euphoria and a warm feeling comes over her.

"Mmm... Mamoru"

"Yes?" Mamoru asks aloud, wondering what's gotten into Usagi, who sounded almost... seductive a moment ago.

"I want you" the blushing blonde says while latching her arm around his. "I feel a little weird... but warm..."

Mamoru touches her forehead. "You do feel a little warm"

"Mmm, I think I'm feeling more then warm... I'm feeling hot" Usagi says a little louder then Mamoru would like, causing some passerbyes on the street to glance at the couple. Mamoru tries to straighten Usagi's walking pattern but she can't seem to walk straight any more.

"Are you drunk?" is the half hearted joke by Mamoru, trying to get his girlfriend to respond to him on a subject other then love.

"We're in public, you know..." Minako teases, feeling a little envious about her friend and her closeness to her boyfriend.

"Oh come on now, Minako... he's mine and no one else's, we can be open about certain MATTERS" Usagi says with a wink.

Ami says nothing but blushes and tries not to be jealous herself. Makoto shakes her head and wonders just what kind of "juice" her friend got from the vending machine earlier- or was that beer?

Noticing their current location, Mamoru has an idea. "Let's go over to Setsuna's apartment, I think we need to get off the street here"

Usagi pinches Mamoru's behind. "Bad boy... let's just go to a love hotel and send the girls off to Setsuna's..."

There is utter silence and then several reactions to Usagi's "proposition"

Mamoru is mortified. "WHAT?"

Ami is shocked that her friend would say something like that... especially out loud, in public no less. Minako grins and pats Usagi on the shoulder.

"About time you took your future role seriously"

Usagi nods her head in response to that and turns around to see what her friend Makoto thinks- a sudden wave of dizziness overcomes her and she begins to lose her balance.

"Makoto... catch me..."

Makoto moves forward and tries to catch her falling friend who's face ends up getting planted right in the middle of the brunette's blouse.

"USAGI!" Mamoru cries out in concern and shock/embarassment from her current position.

Makoto sighs aloud and straightens her friend out, removing her face from her cleavage. "Geez Usagi"

The others crowd around her to find she is indeed out cold... her eyes are all swirley...

"We're definitely going to Setsuna's now- can you girls help me out?" the concerned Mamoru asks, not wanting anymore "situations" to develop out in public.

"Of course" is the common reply from the three others and they quickly help their friend get Usagi off of the street and up to Setsuna's apartment.

Needless to say, Setsuna is a little surprised about her late night visitors as she opens the door and welcomes them inside.

"Please sit down"

"Thanks" Mamoru says as he and the other guide Usagi to the nearest couch where she tilts her head back and burps loudly...

Setsuna is hesitant to say something at first but cannot help but ask- "Is she drunk?"

"She appears to be but I didn't see her drink any beer..." is the first reply from the concerned Mamoru.

Makoto immediately shares the information she has with the others. "Well, I remember her disappearing for a few mintues to get something from a vending machine earlier- she said it was juice"

Ami moves closer to Usagi and immediately proves that theory wrong. "No smell of alcohol, I don't think she's drunk"

Setsuna is more confused then ever. "Then what happened here? Why is she like that?"

Minako speaks next, adding to Mamoru's embarassment. "We have no idea, one minute she's acting fine and the next minute she's propositioning Mamoru on the street in front of everyone"

"I knew you two were close but I thought you two got together in the future..." Setsuna cannot help but blush herself, a victim of her increasing open mind about this subject.

Mamoru frantically waves his hands and disputes that thought. "It's not like that"

Without warning, Usagi reaches for Mamoru and pulls him to her, planting a kiss on his lips before he can react.

In a whisper, Usagi lets her boyfriend know what's on her mind. "Let's go back to your place..."

Gently, Mamoru pulls back and pats Usagi on the head. "Let's stay here for a few minutes..."

Down the hall from the living room a door opens and Hotaru peers outside. 'The Inner Senshi are all here, except for Mars. Usagi doesn't look well at all... maybe I can help her out?'

"Hi everyone"

Makoto recognizes the voice first and says "Hotaru's here" as the purple haired woman makes her appearance.

"Maybe you can help us" Ami says, remembering her friend has special healing power.

"Her face is quite red"

"I've never seen it so red before" Minako adds. "She's been going on and on about..."

"Minako!" Mamoru cuts his friend off there.

The blonde idol gets defensive and will not be deterred. "What? If she's going to help us then she needs to know what's going on, right? It's not my fault Usagi suddenly got all excited and wanted to drag you to a love hotel!"

"Love hotel?" Setsuna says with a blush. A small blush creeps on Hotaru's face as well... she learned about the meaning of "those" places on night on a walk around town with Usagi.

To save her friend Mamoru from further embarassment, Hotaru reaches out and touches Usagi's forehead. She instantly feels the warmth of her skin and realizes that she has some kind of fever... similar in feeling to her daughter's...

"She does feel warm... let me see if I can help" Hotaru then closes her eyes and focuses her healing energy on her friend. The others watch and hope that Hotaru can help...

A warm glow surrounds Usagi as Hotaru transfers her energy into the passed out blonde. Only a few seconds are needed before the effects are felt by both Usagi and Hotaru...

'I feel what she's feeling- a desire to love and create. When I healed her daughter, it was a desire to exist. What's going on here?'

Slowly Usagi's haze begins to disappate and the blonde rubs her eyes. "That was weird... and why are you all looking at me like that?"

Several sighs of relief are heard as the healing appears to have cured Usagi. Makoto decides to answer the question.

"No reason... but what do you remember about the last half hour?"

"Hmm, it's the strangest thing, I felt like I was in a dream- a romantic dream" is the response back after a few moments of thought by Usagi.

"I'm glad I could help" Hotaru says, feeling relieved that her help actually did help with the situation.

Mamoru is very grateful for what Hotaru has done and nods his head appreciatively. "Thanks for the help!"

"It was nothing" Hotaru says shyly.

"We'll see you two tomorrow for our Senshi Christmas Eve party!" Minako says happily. "We can talk and have a good time... the Inners and the Outers"

"Oh, yes, the party... I almost forgot. Be here after six, okay?" Setsuna says while wondering to herself what to do about the pink haired woman sleeping in the next room.

Ami waves to Hotaru and Setsuna. "See you tomorrow!"

Both Makoto and Mamoru say "Bye" and both Minako and Usagi say "See yah!"... it only takes a few moments and then the door closes, ushering in silence once again.

"I totally forgot about the party- they have no idea that our pink haired friend from the future is back!" Setsuna says, feeling a little panicked.

"I'm sure we'll figure out something... I'll go home and ask Haruka-papa and Michiru-momma about it"

"Good idea, Hotaru. Call me tomorrow and let me know what you come up with"

"Will do!" is the cheerful response from Hotaru, who heads to the door and grabs her jacked. "Take care of Usagi for me"

"I will"

The purple haired teen quickly heads home and talks about the situation with Michiru and Haruka- the three exchange ideas and, after some deliberation, come up with an idea... that could actually be "fun" to do...

With the night well along, Hotaru decides to call it a day and turns in for the evening. As she passes her mirror, she cannot help but stop and take a look at herself.

'I wonder... is what Usagi said about me true? She certainly grew up as an adult, matching what the others told me about her alter ego, Black Lady. Maybe I'll fill out, too... like this Mistress Nine they were talking about, I do want to look good after all!'

With that thought in mind Hotaru takes a few moments to pick out what she's going to wear for tomorrow. She looks in her closet and picks out a purple button down sweater and places the garment on her desk.

'That shows off my figure a little... but for some reason I'm not feeling shy at all right now. Usagi picked this out for me... why do I want to wear it so badly?'

Hotaru grappels with that thought while looking through the contents of one of her drawers. She soon comes across another purchase from an earlier shopping trip...

'That's the purple bra from that pajama shopping trip- I've never worn it so I guess now's a good time as any'

The garment is picked up and placed on top of the sweater, setting the stage for the party tomorrow. Hotaru sits down on her bed and sighs aloud, finally realizing what's going on inside of her. 'I must've picked up some of Usagi's condition, whatever it was. This isn't me... is it?'

Hotaru goes to sleep and ponders that very question...

To be continued in Chapter 8: XMAS Eve

Afterword:

First of all, I have two picture references for this chapter to make visualizing it a little easier.

Reference for Rei's red 2 piece bikini in this part: .com/art/Sailor-Moon-Vacation-Colored-75351418

Reference for Rei's outfit at the end of this part, the tank top/shorts combo: .?namespace=productDisplay&origin=&event=display&prnbr=EG-183228&page=1&cgname=OSSLPSETZZZ&rfnbr=5241

I also have an omake as well- keep in mind this is for fun and is not going to happen in the story, it's made up.

Omake 1- In Northern Japan at Yuuchiro's parent's cabin:

Yuuchiro grins. "I had this warm feeling..."

"Yuucchiro... you were on fire..." Rei coos softly as she snuggles up to her lover.

"Oh yeah... in more ways then one. What are you going to tell your friends when you get back?"

"That they shouldn't have bet on Usagi- just because she's with Mamoru in the future doesn't mean she's first to get some action..."

Unawares to Rei and Yuuchiro, another Senshi had already beaten her to the punch earlier in a love hotel in Tokyo while on her way home from a friend's apartment...

"I don't know what came over me... I'm sorry..."

The pig tailed martial artist shakes his head and smiles, though inside he's very worried. 'Akane's gonna kill me! But it was sooooooo worth it! This purple haired girl is so... hot!'

"Ranma?"

"Yes Hotaru?" 


	11. Chapter 11: XMAS eve part A

Chapter 8: XMAS Eve

Part A

Fresh snow falls on the ground as Christmas Eve begins in this part of the world. In northern Japan, two lovers begin to slowly wake up after a night neither one will forget anytime soon...

Yuuchiro opens his eyes and looks down, Rei's black hair fills his vision... and the smoothness of her bare skin is evidenced by some gently movement of his fingers...

"Woah, so that wasn't just some dream..."

"No, silly... that was real" Rei says before pulling away a little bit, wanting to look her new life partner in the face. "You're mine, now and forever"

"Yeah... but it still seems kinda dreamy... but I'm not complaining" is the reply to that, along with a wide smile forming on Yucchiro's face.

"That was... fun" Rei blushes. "I guess since we're together forever, we can practice all we want to"

"Good point- but I do want more then just sex from you"

Rei nods her head. "I know- I wouldn't have revealed one of my biggest secrets to you if I didn't trust you, didn't think you were the one"

A slight nod confirms her thought but leaves the rocker wondering what's next...

"So... what's next for us, then?"

After a slight pause, Rei decides to get right to the point. "Hmm... well, we should get married..."

Yuuchiro is caught unawares by that answer. "Married? Oh yeah, married..."

The shrine maiden giggles. "I don't mean right this second... we should finish school first, be eighteen... I never did dream of getting married at a young age"

The rocker is relieved to hear that. "Whew"

"You're not off the hook, just for a little while... but don't stop thinking about it, okay?"

"Sure, Rei..."

"There's something else that's important... you're now one of us, a Sailor Senshi... so there's something's that we need to talk about on the way back"

"Really? So I got powers like you?" is the surprised reply by Yucchiro to that statement.

"I think so... let's go outside and see..."

Something catches Rei's eye in the corner of the room. Despite being naked, she gets up and walks over to the couch, not giving her nudity a second thought...

Needless to say Yuuchiro is shocked by that as well... it seems both have lost a lot of the nervousness associated with lack of clothes after last nights "bonding"

"It's official" Rei holds up a transformation wand and smiles. "It's funny in a way, instead of a planetary symbol..."

"Go on..." Yuuchiro is dying to hear more.

"There's a symbol of a guitar in this. Go figure..."

"Really? Cool!"

Not able to restrain himself, the new Senshi of Rock hops out of bed and takes a closer look at the transformation wand. "That's neat, how does it work?"

"Well, let me get mine and I'll show you... Mars Planet Power"

Yuuchiro tries several times to get the same result by calling out similar phrases but with the reference to the guitar. Once he finds the right words and transforms, Rei blushes.

"Wow, very handsome... and a functional outfit, too- just wait till the girls see you!"

The transformed rocker looks at the clock on the wall. "Speaking of girls... shouldn't we get going? We're supposed to go to that party, right?"

"Yeah, we should go- tonight should be interesting to say the least..."

As the pair get their things together and head home, there's a relief about the future, at least for the time being, in Rei's mind. She discusses many things that she'd never been able to talk about before with her new life partner Yuuchiro, building a bond of openness and honesty between them on the train ride back into the city...

Elsewhere the other Senshi, Inner and Outer are making preperations for the evening gathering. The Usagi from the future has the Outers come over earlier to Setsuna's apartment and discusses her plan to play a little joke on the Inners...

"That's devious" Haruka quips. "I like it"

"It wouldn't be hard to look like me as Black Lady, though I will just go with my pink sweater and the attitude, I don't have a slinky outfit like I had then"

Michiru is surprised by that admission, given this Usagi's "naughtiness". "Oh? I'm shocked- I thought that with you and your new boyfriend you'd..."

"It's a work in progress- I'm still new to this "grown up" thing after all" is the reply to that comment from Usagi, which earns a nod from Setsuna.

"That's a mature way to look at it, you have grown up"

"But you're still fun to be with and talk to, you didn't lose that" Hotaru adds, happy that her friend came back, though not under the best of circumstances.

A warm smiles forms on Usagi's face. "Thanks to both of you, I appreciate it. Let's go pick up our party supplies then and we'll come up with the perfect set up lines"

Across town, Makoto has begun baking some pies for the evening, figuring that everyone would love some of her wonderful cuisine for desert, especially Usagi. Ami and Urawa spend some time at the Mizuno apartment with Ami's mother since she has to work that evening- the time spent helps make the situation better between the boyfriend and the mother since several questions get asked... and answered. Over at Usagi's house, both blonde Senshi and their guardian cats talk about the upcoming evening festivities.

"I can't wait for the party! Maybe I'll run into some cute guys on our way, you never know"

"Minako..." Artemis says with a sigh. "I do admire your dedication to the umm... pursuit..."

Luna puts in her own "two cents" on the subject. "Usagi was the same way until she finally got her act together- Mamoru was quite patient in dealing with her wandering eyes"

"Now wait a minute here..." Usagi is ready to begin ranting about this in her own defense. "I didn't realize how lucky I am... or how important our personal lives were until I actually had one. I've grown up a lot in the last three years and what we've seen about the future, well... it makes me believe in the power of love even more"

Luna adjusts her position in Usagi's lap and mews appreciately. "Good answer"

"Luna..." Usagi gently pets her guardian cat. Artemis takes a look at Minako and wonders if she'll take a different view of the opposite sex, like Usagi did with Mamoru- or is the boy chasing built in and a permanent part of her personality.

Minako reaches out and pats her cat on the head gently. "What's on your mind Artemis?"

"Nothing, nothing at all" is his reply while turning his attention to the window. "It's snowing again..."

The falling snow causes Usagi to say "Beautiful..." since it adds to the atmosphere of the day. She notices a bag on the side of her bed and wonders what her friend brought over.

"Minako, what's in the bag? Is it for me?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot- I brought you something to wear for the party" the cheerful blonde says before pulling out a pink sweater. "I hope you like it!"

Usagi takes the gift and smiles. "It looks great, thanks!"

"No problem, Makoto and I thought you'd want to try out of our new guy catching tricks on your own man"

Luna looks at the sweater and doesn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary about it. "What's so different about this sweater?"

"I don't see anything different, either" Artemis adds, not being familiar with the clothing Minako is talking about.

Minako decides not to explain the sweater but to let it speak for itself. "Put it on and you'll see..."

After shrugging her shoulders, Usagi decides to try this new garment on. She starts to button down the front of the sweater and realizes something...

"Wow, this is kinda tight..."

"It's supposed to be form fitting... you want to show off for Mamoru, right?" Minako says with a wink.

"Sure..."

After her new sweater is buttoned up, the Senshi of the Moon looks into a nearby mirror and does some poses. "Nice, very nice..."

"It's not too bad..." Luna says with a nod. "I do like the color"

Artemis agrees. "Me too"

"I'll be wearing mine to the party and so will Makoto so you can see our versions"

"Sounds good- let's get going then... we've gotta help Makoto bring over some food and we'll pick up Ami and her boyfriend on the way"

"I'll call Mamoru and then we'll leave..." Usagi reaches for her cell phone and makes a quick call before the Senshi "entourage" heads out, stopping to gather more members on the way. On the last leg of the journey, Ami and her boyfriend are "grilled" for information...

"So, how'd the Christmas lunch go?" the ever curious Minako asks.

"It was fine, this was the first time I've had a... guest over for a holiday" Ami says with a slight blush while stealing a glance at Urawa.

"Her mom was just trying to have a nice meal with us, in case she gets called in later when we return" Urawa adds, explaining the reason behind the early meeting.

Minako nods her head. "Good, good... getting parental approval is key..."

"Since when did you become the expert?" Makoto asks jokingly.

"It's important..." Usagi says quite seriously, recounting her own experience on that subject. The others look at their friend and then are silent, not wanting to open old wounds. "Has anyone heard from Rei?"

Minako nods her head. "She's going to meet us at the apartment, she had to stop and do something on the way..."

"I just hope she's not late..." Usagi says with a sigh. "It's always good to have the whole gang together"

The group soon arrive at the entrance to Setsuna's apartment, just as Rei and Yuuchiro arrive . Everyone exchanges greetings and then the door opens on its own...

"Come in" a familiar voice beckons as the darkness inside the apartment becomes evident to all.

"Is there a power outage or something?" Usagi says as she peers inside. "I can't see a thing"

"Me either" Minako is the next to take a look. "Maybe there's a surprise waiting for us inside?"

"Hmm, maybe..." Mamoru ponders that for a moment. "Let's go in, carefully... and take a look"

Wanting to get in out of the cold hallway and into the nice, warm apartment, the Senshi group take a few steps inside and start feeling the walls for a light switch.

"Where are the lights?" the frustrated Makoto says as she makes her way towards the kitchen, or at least she thinks it's that way...

Suddenly the door slams shut, trapping everyone inside in the darkness. Panic begins to affect the guests despite the familiarity of this setting.

"Hey, stop that!" Rei cries out as she feels a hand brush across her behind.

"Sorry, I was looking for the light" Yuuchiro says before blushing.

"It felt like you were looking for my ass!" is the grumbling reply from Rei, not appreciating the public intimacy in this situation.

"OWWW!"

"Oops, sorry Artemis..." Luna takes a step back and gets off of her fellow feline's tail.

The white cat is still not done with his friend. "Watch where you're going!"

"I can't see... and neither can you so just relax" the black cat retorts with a low growl.

Unseen to the new guests, on the opposite side of the room, the Outer Senshi have their hands over their mouths, stifling their laughs at the comedy that's unfolding in front of them. Despite her "joke" objective, pink Usagi decides to let things continue for a few minutes...

"Ami, did you find anything?" Urawa says while moving in a different direction in an attempt to find a switch. His hands feel the wall to the left and right of his position before feeling someone touching him...

"Oh, oops..." Ami quietly blushes as she realizes just where her hands were a moment ago. 'I wanted to hug him but I touched his pants down there...'

Urawa quietly moves away, not wanting to embarrass Ami or himself during this search for the light. The groping in the dark continues as the frustration and danger of falling over something increases...

"Find anything, Usako?" Mamoru says while making his way around what he thinks is a table.

"No, not yet" is the reply from his girlfriend as she continues the search. She moves in the direction of her boyfriend's voice and feels a sudden squeezing sensation...

Usagi cannot help but moan lustily at the surprise feeling. She softly whispers something in his direction. "Mmmm... naughty Mamo-chan... groping me in the dark"

Despite the low volume of the comment, due to the lack of conversation in the room all the others turn and look at the direction of that comment, most shaking their heads at the apparent pervertedness of Mamoru in this desperate situation.

"I am?" Wanting to be sure, Mamoru squeezes his hands again and feels the soft but firm flesh through Usagi's clothes as she moans softly again.

"Bad boy..."

Mamoru's hands, in spite the wonderful feeling of his girlfriend's bosom, quickly drop to his side. He clears his throat loudly and exclaims in a louder the normal voice- "Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay, it's not like anyone saw you do it, they only heard it..." Usagi says before dropping the subject, though in the back of her mind she wishes that she was alone with him right now... maybe the fun could've continued? "Maybe you can do that more later, Mamo-chan"

"Usagi!" the embarrassed Mamoru cries out as he heads away from his excitable girlfriend, wanting to avoid any more "incidents"

"Okay this is getting out of hand here" Makoto grumbles as she steps towards what she thinks is the center of the room, nearly falling over the couch. "Woah, that was close... huh?"

"I caught you, don't worry!" Minako says cheerfully.

The brunette realizes who just saved her from injury... and who's now touching her, their hands in a tight grip. "Umm, thanks... but can you get your hands off my boobs, please?"

"Sorry!" the blonde quickly moves her hands to her sides. "At least I had something large to grab onto to stop your fall"

Makoto rolls her eyes and hears a snicker in the far corner of the room... from someone not in their group.

"That was too funny..." the voice says, making its presence known.

"It's that voice again!" Usagi exclaims. "The one that called us in here!"

"That's right" is the reply back before a dark purple and pink glow, in the shape of an orb, forms on the far side of the room. The group turns and faces the only source of light in the room in an attempt to see who's there...

"Is that Pluto's rod?" Luna exclaims, trying to figure out where the light is coming from.

"Yes and no" is the reply to the feline before the orb grows brighter and brighter, illuminating everything within three foot radius... enabling the visiting Senshi and friends to see who has led them astray.

Minako is the first to make out who it might be. "Black Lady?"

Several others say "Black Lady" and move a little closer to get a better look. Pink Usagi does her best evil grin and nods her head.

"I suppose you could call me that... and I'm back. Time to make you pay, just like the others paid..."

"Uh oh..." Mamoru immediately realizes what she meant by that... "That's Pluto's Garnet Rod"

Makoto reaches for her transformation pen. "Damn, she took out Pluto already"

"It WAS Pluto's Garnet Rod... it's now been enhanced. Let me show you what I mean..." Pink Usagi stands next to rod for a moment, allowing the group to see her adult form with the tight fitting clothes. Though the style is different from the last time they saw Black Lady, the Inner Senshi notice the sultry nature of the outfit and decide it's still the same theme as before.

In spite of having two non-Senshi present the Inners realize that they have to transform to fight this threat. Usagi immediately calls everyone to battle.

"Sailors, get ready to transform!"

All of the Inner Senshi grab their transformation pens and prepare to transform when a bright light shines behind them, similar to a Senshi transformation, near the entrance to the apartment. Urawa and the Inners turn and look at the light... but only catch a small glimpse as it quickly fades.

Even Pink Usagi is caught off guard. "That wasn't part of the plan... who's there?"

A sound like a guitar riff fills the air before a voice says "Your worst nightmare lady. You leave those ladies alone!"

Rei recognizes who it is right away. "Yuuchiro?"

"Yeah Rei... let me give this one a try, I need to prove myself to you and the others" is his reply, causing the others in the room to stare at him and wonder what's going on.

"Another Sailor Senshi?" Artemis says with wonderment. "And someone we know..."

Pink Usagi ponders that for a moment, trying to remember that name from her past. 'Rei's boyfriend? That must be it- but I don't remember him in any visions- I would know if there were others with powers!'

Wanting to "test" this new Senshi, pink Usagi turns the rod and points it at him. "Pink Sugar Scream"

The hybrid attack of the former Chibi-Usa's Pink Sugar Heart Attack and Pluto's Deadly Scream heads towards Yuuchiro in a ball form of a mixed purple and pink color. The other Senshi are stunned and Rei calls out to her lover.

"Watch out!"

"Don't worry, I got it..." Yuuchiro starts strumming his guitar and a what appears to be a sound wave eminates from the end like the waves of the sea and heads towards the incoming ball of energy. The two meet a moment later and crackling and hissing is heard as the two energies begin fighting each other and canceling out. The rocker Senshi begins sweating as the ball grows nearer- he plays his guitar even faster to generate a more powerful wave, eliminating the opposing attack with precious few inches to spare.

"Whew, that was close" Yuuchiro mutters softly to himself. 'She's got some powerful attacks, no doubt about it. Now it's my turn'

Wanting to see more of her opponents' skills, "Black Lady" goads her opponent on. "Are you just going to stand there, or can you only do defensive maneuvers?"

"You want offense, you got it!"

Yuuchiro changes the chord and launches a stream of what look like musical notes at pink Usagi. She spins her Garnet Rod in a similar manner to Pluto but several notes get through, tearing some of the fabric of her jeans off. One shot in particular causes damage that is soon visible to all- the fabric in front of her pink blouse fails after she stops spinning the rod, showing off her abundant cleavage and some of the lace of her bra. All of the males in the room blush and Rei immediately yells at her partner.

"What the hell are you doing, pervert? You're supposed to fight her, not start a peep show!"

"I'm sorry- I'm new at this after all... aaah!"

A bright flash of light blinds Yuuchiro momentarily as pink Usagi uses her Magic Mirror to discern the truth about her opponent. "No... way..."

"She must've gotten Neptune, too" Luna notes before looking at the right side of Black Lady. "Looks like she's got Uranus's sword..."

"That only leaves Hotaru..." Artemis notes before calling out for everyone to transform and fight. "Sailors!"

Pink Usagi knows what's going to happen next and doesn't want to ruin her friends apartment. She claps her hands three times and Hotaru quietly shuffles out from behind her friend, glaive in tow. "She didn't get me"

"Good- get her then!" Makoto cries out.

"You guys are too funny..." Haruka steps out from the hallway behind Pink Usagi and Hotaru. "I think that's enough for one day- lights"

"Lights- you got it!" a voice calls out before the lights come back on, revealing the presence of Michiru and Setsuna behind Haruka. All four Outers have their weapons in hand- making the inners very, very confused.

Usagi takes stock of what she sees. "Two Garnet Rods, two Swords, two Mirrors... and one glaive"

Black Lady explains the situation. "Saturn had already killed herself when I stared acquiring these... I got the mirror and sword from the fallen Neptune and Uranus and when Venus killed Pluto..."

After hearing that, Venus and Pluto exchange nervous glances and Setsuna takes a step back.

"Oh..." Usagi says, remembering the painful memories of the future.

"It's good to see you all again, especially you, dad" Pink Usagi smiles and nods her head at Mamoru. "I haven't seen you in about a year..." her voice drops off as she recalls why.

Boldy, Mamoru inquires further. "That didn't sound too good..."

"Your injuries got you... you did kill three of the four attackers yourself..."

Ami, Minako, and Rei take a few steps back from Mamoru who suddenly feels very uncomfortable. Usagi quickly draws a conclusion.

"It was just me and you in the end"

"Yes mom, it was... but I'll have to explain why I'm an adult" Pink Usagi points at her rod. "And the meaning of this rod- but first things first. How did we get another Sailor Senshi?"

"I was wondering myself..." Setsuna says while glancing at the Outers who nod their heads in agreement.

Mamoru has the same question in mind. "Me too, just how did you do that, Yuuchiro?"

"Yeah, tell us!" Makoto says while trying to come up with an explination in her mind.

"Umm, well..." a bright red blush forms on the new Senshi's face. "Maybe we should sit down?"

"Good idea, let's sit down and you spill" Minako says while grabbing one of the food bags the group brought with.

The Inners and their friends grab the food and bring it into the kitchen. Makoto and Setsuna distribute the food while Hotaru and pink Usagi pass out drinks to everyone. Once everyone has snacks and is sitting in the front room comfortably, the nervous Rei tries to explains things.

"Actually, I'm to blame for this..." Rei says softly.

"How did you make him a Senshi with powers?" Usagi is dying of curiosity. "Tell us Rei!"

Feeling nervous, Rei rests her head on Yuuchiro's shoulder. He tries to help with the explination.

"We were umm, talking and well, Rei showed me who she really was, Sailor Mars"

Pink Usagi nods her head. "Okay... you must really trust this guy"

"He's my soul mate" is the soft reply as she takes his hand. Several "Aww's" fill the room, causing the couple to blush.

Yuuchiro continues the story. "Well, she pulled out this crystal and I..."

"Go on..." Makoto says softly, wanting to hear more but not sound overly demanding.

"I touched it..."

"Woah..." Usagi says, knowing how dangerous that could be... she knows if anything happens to that crystal it would be fatal.

"Yeah, I tried to stop him but he did and he suddenly caught fire, I thought he was going to die" a few tears fall from Rei's eyes as she recalls that dreadful moment.

"But, as you can see, I survived..." Yuuchiro takes off his hat and scratches his head. "I don't know what happened or how I did, but suddenly I was full of this new energy, new life"

"I realized that since we're... soul mates, we shared a common bond which was enhanced by his showing of affection. That's how everything got started"

Minako and Makoto look at each other and hope the same thing can happen if they find their soul mates. Ami looks at her boyfriend and both blush...

"That's so nice, you two expressed your love and well, we have a new teammate!" Hotaru says, feeling very happy and excited for her friend.

"Maybe this will help change the future" Luna quips.

"Sounds like a possible solution, if we find the right partner for the girls" Artemis adds.

Michiru and Haruka are a little more cautious with their replies.

"Is there more?" the aqua haired Senshi asks after noticing the glances Rei and Yuuchiro are exchanging.

"That sounds good but I can sense you two are holding back something" Haruka adds, wanting to know the full truth on this "solution"

Usagi looks intently at her friend and tries not to cry. "Rei, is there more? I need to know... I want to stop you from getting killing in the future... the others need to know, too, so they can find their own way out"

After being confronted by Usagi's almost tearful query, Rei desides to tell the rest of the story. 'She's right, it's more then just us two, it's the others, too'

"Ahem, as I was saying, we bonded after he was purified by the fire... which left him naked"

Yuuchiro closes his eyes to avoid the stares of the others. "I had the need to... I needed to..."

Usagi almost gets it his face. "Needed to what?"

"Usagi, we..." Rei nervously twiddles her thumbs and says the next two words in a mere whisper. "Did it"

Several of the Senshis say "Huh?", causing Rei to clear her throat and repeat what she just said, though her voice is only heard by Usagi and Yuuchiro, causing several of the others to cup their ears, indicating they want her to speak up.

Rei's temper quickly shows itself. "Are you guys deaf or something? We did it, had sex... geez... how many different ways do I have to say it?"

The room is so silent that you could hear a pin drop. The three unbonded inners realize what they have to do... and all three blush at the mere thought of this sort of ritual. Setsuna has a slight blush as well, realizing that she might be desiring the same thing to happen to her. Haruka and Michiru notice how red Hotaru's face has gotten and Haruka comments on that.

"You're going to ruin Hotaru's innocent mind"

"I'm, ummm, happy for you two" the soft spoken Senshi of Saturn says before rubbing her eyes.

Pink Usagi has to disagree with Haruka on this one. "Not totally innocent... at least since I got here"

Setsuna rolls her eyes, knowing the same is the case with her as well. The former Chibi-Usa puts her Garnet Rod down and takes a sip of sake. 'This merits more investigation, maybe some of the future has already changed?'

On the Inners side of the room, everyone is still silent, their minds digesting what they just heard. Usagi, however, cannot believe what she just heard.

"You did WHAT?" Usagi says loudly, feeling both shocked and jealous at the revelation that Rei just revealed.

All the other Senshi are silent after the blonde's outburst... except for her daughter who closes her eyes and nods her head. The next person to speak isn't human at all...

End Part A 


	12. Chapter 12: XMAS eve part B

Begin Part B

"Gee thanks Rei, now I lost the Inners bet..." Artemis says in a low mumble.

"Excuse me?" Luna says, hoping that what she just heard was wrong.

Haruka grins. "Let me get this straight- you bet on which one of the Inner Senshi was going to 'get some' first?"

Artemis blushes and nods his head.

"Artemis, I don't believe you'd do something like this!" Minako says in a scolding tone.

Not wanting to drop this subject but instead wanting to learn more, Haruka presses for more information. "I'm almost afraid to ask... who did you pick?"

"Minako" is the almost inaudible reply. The others know what's coming and wisely keep their mouths shut.

Minako's rage instantly shows itself as the blonde feels very deeply offended by what her guardian cat just said. "WHAT? Are you calling me a slut or something? How dare you think that I'd be the first to have sex here!"

"I lost, too- I had Makoto" Michiru says, adding more fuel to the "bet" fire.

Makoto doesn't believe what she just heard. "You picked ME? Why?" the brunette says before looking down at herself and trying to figure things out... and wonders if it's that obvious. "Just because I have big breasts doesn't mean that I..."

The embarrassed and enraraged Makoto points at her breasts causing several eyes and two roving eyes to look over them longer than they should.

"Mamoru!" The blonde Usagi shouts out causing Haruka to let out a sigh of relief that she wasn't caught- the blonde Outer Senshi decides to reveal her pick to divert attention from what she just did...

"Sorry kid, I picked you too" Haruka admits.

In an effort to keep pressure and attention off of himself, Mamoru shakes his head. "Wow, I had no idea you guys were into betting on things like this- I knew Artemis would do something like this but not you two..."

The white cat is not amused. "HEY!"

The former Chibi-Usa decides to "up the ante" and turns to her friend Hotaru.

"Say Hotaru, who did you pick?"

Hotaru blushes and shyly turns away. "Ami"

All eyes turn to look at Hotaru and Ami nearly spits out her drink... her boyfriend shyly turns away as well. "What? Why Hotaru?" is Ami's reply once she regains her composure.

"You know what they say about the... shy ones..." is the soft reply.

Ami's face turns red as a beet and she slinks back in her seat. The others look at Ami... and then at Hotaru, who's also a "shy one"...

Rei is curious about Setsuna, who's been silent on this topic so far.

"Say, Setsuna... did you bet on us? Seems like everyone else here did"

The Senshi of Time shakes her head. "I was tempted to... but I could've cheated and won without the others knowing. I've had enough of looking at the future and I just didn't want to bet on something like this. Besides, what I would've seen may not have been right after all. Usagi's appearance here has already begun to alter the timeline"

Luna looks at Artemis with narrow eyes. "At least someone here has some moral courage"

"Whatever Luna, it was all in good fun, a harmless bet" is the white cat's reply. "Besides, I heard you talking with Haruka- you picked Usagi!"

"She should've been a shoe in..." Luna says, mumbling to herself. "It's not like Mamoru hasn't been looking at her more lately, especially with those low cut blouses..."  
The blonde Usagi gets on her feet. "You're right Luna, he should be looking!" For good measure, the blonde gets closer to her boyfriend and takes a deep breath, making her figure look even bigger... and causing Mamoru to blush and pretend not to notice, despite the fact that her chest is front and center right in front of him.

Small conversations break out across the room... it's a few moments before Rei realizes something. As soon as she does, the raven-haired senshi jumps to her feet, insensed about all of this and being left out. "What about me damn it! Didn't anyone bet on me?"

When no one raises their hands Rei grits her teeth in annoyance and begins to sulk.

Haruka calmly asks, "Did you want everyone to think that you, a shrine maiden, would be the first to put out for a guy?" A snarky grin forms on her face and Rei cannot help but respond immediately.

"What?" Rei yelped and backed up and ended up tripping over Yuucchiro's feet causing her to fall in his lap which prevented her from getting hurt but did nothing for the situation.

"As fun as it has been tormenting Rei... and everyone else, we have... bigger problems." Pink Usagi said sadly and stood up. "We've got to figure out if things are changing in the timeline because of this new development- is this a solution to the problem?"

The black cat nods her head. "Exactly- good thinking, Chibi-Usa... err, I mean, Usagi"

"Thanks, Luna" the pink haired woman walks over and gently pets her friend on the head, relishing the thought of being back where all of her friends and family actually exisited.

Makoto has an idea and shares it with everyone. "Before we do that, let's have some pie... this is a party after all, and we should celebrate the return of our friend from the future"

"Yuuchiro did jump the gun and attack you... and well, we all need to apologize" Rei says with a nod.

The pink Usagi shakes her head. "It's not his fault, I set this up on purpose to mess with you guys, to make you think I was Black Lady again. There's a little damage to my blouse but I'm sure Helios won't mind the extra view..."

That comment gets the blonde Usagi's attention as well as Mamoru. The other inners wonder where she got her naughtiness from as Makoto motions everyone into the kitchen, leaving the family of three alone for a few minutes.

The mother Usagi wastes no time in her quest for answers. "Helios?"

"Yes, mom, Helios. Once I came back, we met and... bonded" a slight blush forms on the pink Usagi's cheeks as she speaks those words, leading Mamoru to some conclusions...

"Where is he? I haven't seen him since our dealings with the Dark Moon Circus"

"He went out to get some stuff for the party, I'm sure he'll be in shortly" is Usagi's reply before going over to her father and giving him a hug.

"It's good to see you again, it's been a long time"

Turning her attention to her other parent, Usagi decides to address a concern that both parents probably have.

"Don't worry, I do love him, with all my heart. I came back to help everyone else find love..."

Sensing the need for reconcilliation, the blonde Usagi holds out her arms and embraces her now grown up daughter and smiles.

"Looking good, kid... you certainly inherited your mothers' figure"

"Thanks, mom... I also got your courage as well. No matter what happens, I don't want anyone else to suffer. I don't blame you for what happened and you will help to change things, right?"

"Of course" is the immediate reply.

Mother and daughter break their embrace and then pink Usagi smiles. "Great... let's eat! Where's that pie?"

"Definitely her mother's daughter..." Mamoru says softly.

"What was that?" the blonde replies dangerously.

"Nothing, let's eat..."

A knock on the door is heard a moment later and Helios enters with 2 grocery bags of drinks from 7-11. "Did I miss anything?"

Numerous sighs are heard in the room and no one replies, leaving Helios quite confused.

Setsuna finally speaks up. "Come in, you're letting the heat out"

After taking off his shoes and jacket, Helios comes inside and closes the door. He places the drinks in the fridge and passes a bottle of sake to his girlfriend.

"I didn't realize that you drank" Usagi notes as she watches her daughter pour herself a drink.

"I'm old enough to... I hope being over 900 is good enough here" is the reply to that before the former Chibi-Usa takes a sip of her drink. "Now that's the stuff, thanks Helios"

"No problem, let me get a drink and I'll be right back" Helios starts walking towards the kitchen but takes a backward glance at his girlfriend, noting the view that wasn't present before he left. She winks at him and he resumes his journey for some snacks...

Quietly, the future queen notices her daughter's behavior and realizes that she may be seriously involved with Helios, maybe even the same as Rei and Yuuchiro. She looks at Mamoru and he nods his head, showing he's thinking the same thing. Makoto returns with the pie and starts cutting slices for everyone. The conversation turns to Christmas itself, snow, and other less serious matters as the Senshi decide to think about something else, at least for a little while. The Inners are slightly surprised to see Setsuna drinking sake, wondering if the visitor from the future had anything to do with that.

The former Chibi-Usa puts down her sake and heads for the T.V. "Let's make this a real party- I want to play some of the ancient videogames Setsuna has!"

Setsuna rolls her eyes. "They aren't old, at least in this time period"

"Video games? Sounds fun!" Minako says, wanting to challenge someone.

"I'm in" the brunette adds. "I want to play"

"Me too!" the blonde Usagi says.

"Should we have a tournament then?" Haruka suggests, wanting to play herself.

Rei likes the sound of that. "Okay, but how about something where a lot of us can play at once?"

"Okay, let me pick out something..."

The others let their future guest pick out a game... while she does so, something that has been nagging at Luna for the last thirty minutes finally gets expressed verbally.

"Yuuchiro"

The rocker turns and looks down at the black cat, hoping she isn't about to ask a personal question. "Umm, what is it Luna?"

"What should we call you? All of the other Sailor have a planetary tie in... and you have an unusual outfit on"

"I was going to ask the same thing" Artemis says before pointing at his head. "Especially with that hat"

"Well, Rei and I were talking about this on the way down and you can call me..."

All eyes in the room turn and look at Yuuchiro as he gives out his "new name"...

"Sailor Angus"

Several shoulder shrugs and "Huh's" express the Senshi's confusion over the name.

The newest Senshi tries to clear things up. "Umm, the famous guitarist? Angus Young?"

Makoto shakes her head. "Nope, doesn't ring a bell"

Yuuchiro tries again. "AC/DC?"

Rei notices that no one is answering and, despite her limited knowledge on the subject, rips the others for not picking up something in the last few years of hanging out around him.

"Come on guys..." Rei turns and looks at Setsuna. "How about an illustration?"

Setsuna takes her Garnet Rod and holds it up. "Sure, why not? Let's solve this mystery..."

The orb on the top of the rod glows softly as Setsuna mutters her request, a vision of the famous AC/DC guitarist suddenly appears in the center of the room... his clothing matches Yuuchiro's outfit exactly. Black hat, school boy type uniform (from Australia) with a white undershirt, black vest, blue tie, and black pants. A close up of the guitar shows a Gibson SG, which is what Yuuchiro appears to have, though with more powers then the ability to "rock"...

"Okay, makes sense now" Mamoru says, making the connection. "Interesting choice but hey, you're a guitarist, right?"

"Yeah, I am... and that's why I've got musical attacks..." Yuuchiro says proudly.

Seeing an opportunity to celebrate even more, pink Usagi silently gets up and heads to the kitchen, returning a short time later with a large bowl of eggnog and one of punch.

The blonde Usagi is the first to take her glass and get some punch. "Looks yummy!"

"Just don't over do it, mom..." her daughter warns, knowing about that "weakness"

"Maybe you shouldn't..." Mamoru says quickly, knowing exactly what was meant by his daughter's comment.

"Should we even be drinking this stuff?" Makoto says after taking a sip of eggnog.

"Well this is a party and, what the hell, it's Christmas..." Haruka says before passing a glass to Michiru. "How about a toast?"

"How about some progress towards a solution to our problem?" Michiru suggests.

"Thanks to our lovely couple over there" Minako says with a wink as she looks at Rei and Yuuchiro.

Mamoru raises his glass. "Seriously, we should toast another holiday of being together, and to a bright future!"

"Here, here!" Usagi raises her glass, making it obvious that the alcohol already is taking affect in the blonde's bloodstream.

Everyone present takes their glass and raises it in a toast, the clanging of glasses is heard a moment later- right before a sudden and unexpected vision suddenly appears in the center of the room.

"What the..." Artemis says while looking up at the vision, wondering what triggered this. A cold mist fills the room, sending shivers down everyone's spine as events unfold in front of the captive audience.

In the future, Minako has found someone and bonded with a seemingly handsome and fine young man... but it turns out to be the wrong guy. She's reduced to tears as she watches her future self battle verbally and physically the man she loved and thought loved her... he humilates and demeans her to the point that the blonde lashes out and kills him herself...

"Woah" is about all anyone can manage to say as the vision comes to a brief pause before revealing another shocking revelation. Makoto's eyes go wide as she realizes her future self is the next to be featured. A feeling of bitterness and resentment is cleary visible in the words and actions of the future Sailor Jupiter after the death of Minako's companion... who was also her lover.

"This is not me..." Makoto says in disbelief as she realizes that she doesn't have her own true love... and the one that she wanted was stolen by her friend Minako. The two end up battling and Minako wins, leaving her former friend hanging from the ceiling in a noose made of a "Love me Chain"... with the fallen Sailor Neptune at her feet, the latter having tried to break up the fight but instead falling victim to the battle crazed attacks of the former friends.

"Michiru!" Haruka calls out, being so in the moment that she thinks the here and now Michiru is now dead. Her cry makes the vision backtrack a few weeks, showing Minako's husband before his death fighting with her due to her rejection of the new Senshi of Lust.

The battle is shown in graphic detail and everyone watching is on edge, especially Haruka who nearly passes out as her future self succumbs to the unorthodox fighting tactics of Venus's husband and is run through with a sword... her sword...

Ami covers her eyes, being quite sickened and disturbed by all the events that she's just witnessed. A tug on her sleeve causes her to open her eyes- just in time to see Urawa get into a fatal accident while riding on a train to see her.

This future event is like a mental punch to Ami, who falls backward onto the couch, her eyes open but not seeing... it's as though she is awake but no one is home. Urawa looks at his girlfriend and realizes she's in a catatonic state and he can't do anything to help her.

The next events shown is this tragic vision is that of Setsuna trying to right this wrong, though she couldn't seem to go back in time to stop the accident, leading to hard feelings and distrust that lasted until the untimely death of Setsuna at her hands, the Senshi of Water and Ice kills her by freezing Setsuna's heart and calling her an ice bitch since Setsuna would not save her love.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Setsuna cannot help cringe at the thought of dying yet again at the hands of a fellow Senshi. She squirms in her seat and eyes the blue haired Senshi cautiously, despite being on the opposite side of the room.

Hotaru has had enough and cries out "This is horrible, how is this better then before?", feeling overwhelmed at all of the death and destruction she just witnessed. Upon hearing her voice the vision changes suddenly to show the adult Hotaru and her efforts to find a soul mate to bind with... though time after time she ended up getting used, allowing her to get more and more nieve and angry at the world until there was no turning back. Despite some help from Luna near the end the Senshi of Destruction turned her own power against herself, destroying the planet Saturn and herself with her glaive...

"This cant be happening, I thought things were going to be fixed!" the blonde Usagi calls out, wondering why these events were happening. 'I didn't set any of these events in motion... and it doesn't seem to be any better!'

The vision changes to show a scene of the not too distant future and a series of fights with Artemis and Minako about her choice of boyfriend. Time and time again the white cat tries to warn her that this boy was trouble and a smooth talker but she ignores his advice, partly because of her own desire to have a companion, regardless of the cost. One day the white cat disappears and is found dead, the victim of an unfortunate accident...

"ACK! That bastard killed me!" Artemis cries out.

Luna begins crying. "Artemis!"

Swirls form in the vision and the 30th century comes into view once again, showing a dejected and scrawny Luna, alive though barely so, her hair mangy and unkempt.

"Does anyone live?" Pink Usagi asks with much bitterness and resentment, thinking her appearance would change things for the better, not for the worse. She doesn't have to wait long for an answer as the vision changes to show the end result of things... Rei, Yuuchiro, Ami, Mamoru, Usagi, Luna are all there but she is not, the timeline changing so much that she doesn't exist, having never been born in the first place.

Once the vision clears the future Pink Lady becomes visibly upset and jumping to her feet she began swearing in several languages that only Setsuna can decipher.

"I had a husband..." Minako says softly while contemplating the seriousness of that development. "But he helped kill my friends and was involved with Makoto..."

The brunette says nothing and ponders her own actions of cheating with Minako's abusive husband while on the other side of the couch Rei grabs Yuuchiro and begins sobbing into his chest. Urawa tries to get Ami to respond but she's still catatonic and won't reply. Usagi and Mamoru look at each other and have no idea what to say or do at a time like this, the emotions being so overwhelming that both are in shock.

On the other side of the room, Hotaru cannot believe what she just witnessed, trading death by lonelyness for that of a broken heart, leaving her to wonder if she'll ever truly be happy. Michiru and Haruka hold hands and try to make sense of it all... the fighting seems to never end, only take a new form or fashion- and the end result is very clear. Death.

The happy Christmas party has turned to an evening of doom and despair... each person present has their own idea about what to do next. Both Minako and Makoto reach for more drinks, eyeing each other as they consume the spiked drinks...

The former Chibi-Usa has no idea of what to do next or what to say so she excuses herself. "I... I'm going to bed... I can't take this... and I'm sorry about my joke earlier"

Mamoru shakes his head. "Don't worry about it... we'll stop by tomorrow then..."

"Okay" is the soft reply before Usagi motions to her boyfriend Helios who politely nods his head at Mamoru and blonde Usagi before exiting with his girlfriend. Both lovers get into bed and Helios begins to hear Usagi cry...

"Why? I thought I'd be able to save everyone..."

"I don't know, I thought you'd change things... but things are still pretty bad"

Usagi buries her head into his chest. "Yes, they are, and the thing is, what do we fix next?"

"You and I will figure that out, let's get some rest and come at the problem fresh"

"Good idea Helios"

"I love you, Usagi"

A quick peck on the cheek shows her appreciation for that comment. "And I love you"

Both parties soon fall asleep and escape the painfulness of reality, if only for a few hours. Back in the living room both the punch and eggnog bowls are empty as the remaining parties sans the cats quickly drink up the leftovers in order to drown out what they just saw...

Luna is quite concerned by this development. "I think everyone should stay here tonight, you've all had a lot to drink!"

Most of the people in the room nod their heads but two do not. "No. Mamoru and I are leaving!" is Usagi's reply to Luna's comment. "I only had one drink and it's worn off- I do have to be home... you know that, Luna"

"I think she's right, we don't want her to get into anymore trouble" Artemis adds, being fully aware of the situation she had before over seeing Mamoru and not telling her parents.

"Just be careful out there!" Luna says while still acting in "Mother mode"

Usagi reaches for her shoes and coat. "We will..."

"We'll stop by in the morning..." Mamoru adds softly before donning his coat and shoes. He takes Usagi's hand and holds it firmly, trying to tell her that it's okay, even though things are far from okay as they leave the apartment and head down the snow covered sidewalks back home.

Setsuna realizes that she's got quite a few guests and decides to try and make them comfortable as possible. "Let me get some blankets and pillows for everybody, I'll be right back"

"I'll help" Hotaru says, wanting to do something to get her mind on something besides the future and her death. The pair soon return with all the available blankets and pillows and begin distributing them. Haruka and Michiru snuggle under the covers though as a form of reassurance, not of intimacy. Rei and Yuuchiro share a blanket as well, the new Senshi of Rock taking a moment to transform back to his civilian clothes. Hotaru spreads a futon on the floor for the two cats and herself while trying not to stare at the two silently feuding Senshi in the upper part of the room...

Setsuna sees the situation as well and tries to defuse it. "You two just go to bed... that hasn't happened yet and there's no need to get angry over this..."

"I guess you're right" Minako says, resigning herself to the fact that it was just a vision and hasn't happened yet. 'Things do change'

Makoto takes a blanket and then Setsuna offers one to Minako, who quickly takes it and wraps in around herself. The brunette tries to make peace with her friend before they go to sleep.

"Sorry..."

"It's fine, we'll figure it out in the morning" the very sleepy blonde says before yawning. "Good night..."

"Good night" is Makoto's reply before making herself comfortable and falling asleep. Setsuna allows herself a glimmer of a smile before turning to talk to Urawa about the catatonic Ami.

"Is she okay?"

"I hope so" is the concerned reply from Urawa as Ami slowly stirs, her eyes blinking very rapidly. "Maybe we should stay here?"

"No" Ami says softly. "I need to go home, to get away..."

"Are you sure?" Setsuna asks while trying not to get too close.

"Yes"

Urawa slowly helps Ami to her feet. "I'll take her home then"

"Be careful out there"

"We will Setsuna, I'll remind Ami to call you or stop by in the morning" Urawa then puts on Ami's shoes and then his own before getting their coats and making a quick exit- he could see the increasing nervousness in Setsuna's voice and actions and wanted to avoid any issues between his girlfriend and Setsuna. After Ami and Urawa's departure Setsuna heads back to her room and gets into bed, her eyes yearning for sleep as the only means of escape from the harsh new reality that has presented itself.

Despite the slow going on the snow covered sidewalks, Ami and Urawa arrive back at her place well in advance of the agreed upon return time. Urawa takes Ami's coat and hangs it up while she looks around to see if anyone's home... and while doing so, finds a note on the fridge.

"Anything from your mom?"

Silently, Ami nods her head.

"And?"

"Urawa, can we talk?"

That reply throws off Urawa, who was expecting a "Yes" or "No" answer. He agrees in order to find out what's on Ami's mind- she had been silent and deep in thought the whole trip back. He follows Ami into the front room and sits down next to her on the couch.

"What's on your mind?"

"You" Ami answers with a blush. "It seems that you're my destiny... and I'm going to make sure that you don't get into that accident"

Urawa takes her hand. "Of course, I don't want to die, I want to be with you"

"Thank you" is Ami's soft reply as she mentally debates what to do next. Thoughts of having lost him continue to plague her, especially since they hadn't even bonded yet. She mutters a few words to herself softly.

"We didn't even..."

Urawa catches some of what she says. "Didn't even what?"

The blushing Senshi of Water takes his hand and places it on her waist and then repeats for his other hand, causing Urawa to blush and wonder what's on her mind.

Ami takes a deep breath and utters one word. "Bond"

Knowing what might be on her mind, Urawa replies carefully. "Oh, I guess we didn't... but Ami..."

"I don't know when you're going to..." Ami tries to be logical despite the overwhelming emotions she's feeling. "I want to get closer to you, just in case we can't stop things from happening..."

Not wanting to rush things, despite the doom they witnessed a little while ago, Urawa tries another approach to calm Ami down and dissuade her from bonding right here and now.

"Your mom could be home any second, ummm..."

"She's on call, that's what the note said, she won't be in until after 2 A.M."

"Oh, that's what was on the note"

Ami smiles and moves closer. "Yes, you are correct"

Having run out of excuses Urawa reluctantly resigns himself to his fate. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"

"I don't want you to die because... because I love you" Tears form in Ami's eyes as she places her arms around her boyfriend and holds him tight, expressing her deepest fears and needs to him out loud, something she had been wishing she could do for a while now.

"I'm not going to die" Urawa says before kissing her on the cheek. "Not with such a strong woman like you around, not with such wonderful friends always being in your company"

Ami slowly pulls herself away and wipes off her tears, her now clear eyes meeting his. Neither one moves for several seconds before he slowly moves closer and closer, his lips finally meeting hers, showing his own thoughts on the situation they're in.

"I need you, Ami"

"I need you, too"

Few words are spoken as the lovers, in agreement, begin expressing their deepest passions for each other, not holding back at all. Urawa's hands begin squeezing Ami's behind and caressing her hips as she presses her body forward during their kissing, causing him to slowly fall back on the couch. He can feel her body as she repositions herself in his lap which quickly proves pleasurable for both parties.

"Too hot" Urawa mutters, referencing both Ami and the room temperature. He quickly gets help with the latter problem as Ami takes off his sweater and then his shirt, running her hands on his chest.

"Very handsome... and very... sexy" she softly coos while his hands squeeze her behind even harder, causing her to moan loudly. "That feels good"

"So does what you're doing... and I want more, too" Urawa exclaims, noting the movements of her hips into his body. He begins to unbutton her blouse, stopping occasionally to caress her bosom which he mentally notes has gotten a bit fuller since their first meeting a few years back. 'She's gotten curvy and I like it!'

"Mmm... Urawa..."

"Ami, you're very sexy..." the final button of the blouse is soon undone and Urawa removes it, causing him to repeat what he just said. "Very sexy... blue is definitely your color"

Staring at her bra clad chest he blanks out, his eyes fog over and even as he stands their transfixed he does not reply when she calls his name. Fear and panic sets in and the moment is ruined as she begins remembering the future...

End Part B 


	13. Chapter 13: XMAS eve part C

Start Part C

Usagi, on her way to her house with Mamoru, hears her phone ring just a few blocks away from their goal. Mamoru watches as Usagi talks on the phone... and cannot help but wonder if something's going on...

"Fine, I'll do that- but you have to go into my room and leave that pink striped bag outside the front door. Then you won't be bothered tonight- and don't touch anything else in my room!"

Usagi hears a verbal confirmation and then hangs up the phone.

"What was that all about?" the curious Mamoru asks.

"Well, we've just had a change in plans... if you'll have me over" the blonde says softly.

"Huh? I thought you had to go home"

"My brother is home by himself... and he's expecting some 'company'- our parents decided to spend the night out a party down in Kyoto"

Mamoru's eyes narrow. "I see... he's certainly started acting like a teenager"

Usagi tugs on his arm. "And, as an adult and the future Queen Serenity, I want to spend tonight with you. He's already said that I'm home so we're covered..."

The future King Endymion thinks about it as they near the house and finally decides on "yes", the events of earlier help sway his decision. He patiently waits outside the gate as Usagi grabs the bag she requested and emerges with a wide smile on her face.

"What's in the bag?"

"It's a surprise!" the blonde says with a wink. "Let's get going!"

Everytime Mamoru tries to peek at the bag Usagi moves it out of sight, though the "Victoria's Secret" markings on it give him a possible clue of what might be inside and what's on Usagi's mind. It isn't long before the pair arrive at his building and head upstairs. Once he opens the door to his apartment the excited Usagi heads right in and sits down on the couch...

"Relax and make yourself at home- do you want anything to drink?"

Usagi rubs her hands together after taking off her gloves. "Sure, I'll have some hot cocoa so I can warm up, it's cold outside!"

"Okay, be out in a few minutes..." Mamoru closes the door and hangs up his jacket before retiring to the kitchen to make the beverages in question. While the water is heating up he peeks into the next room and spies Usagi peeking in her pink VS bag.

'I bet she bought something special that she wants me to see- since it's Christmas, I guess she can stay. We need to forget about what happened earlier and just have some fun tonight.'

With some trepidation and a little excitement Mamoru waits for the water to finish heating up and adds the hot cocoa and some marshmallows...

"Mmm, that smells good- I can smell it all the way in here!" Usagi exclaims from the next room.

"Be right there..."

Mamoru grabs the two cups and brings them into his living room. He hands one to his girlfriend who cautiously sips at the hot beverage.

"Delicious! Thanks!"

"Anytime"

The pair sip their hot chocolate and exchange occasional stares before Usagi starts a conversation with some small talk.

"That was some party, huh?"

"I'll say- we think we're making changes for the better and people are still dying, even with a way to get an eternal companion for the others"

"I thought no one would be jealous of us after hearing about what Rei did, since the others could find their own mates" Usagi admits with a sigh. "I guess it goes to show that we've got to be 100% sure of our picks, like I am"

Mamoru blushes but says nothing, allowing her to continue.

"The part that worries me the most is our future daughter- she no longer exists!"

"Yeah, the timeline has been altered somehow... and we don't know exactly when she was born, either"

"Well, with our grown up daughter here and her new powers, maybe we can all work together and find a solution. She saw all of the original events..."

Nodding his head, Mamoru agrees. "And was the only one besides you to live. Now we have to figure out a new plan"

Usagi finishes her cocoa and puts the cup down on the table. Mamoru does the same before getting up to open the curtains, flooding the room with brilliant moonlight.

"I thought you might like some moonlight"

"Yeah, it's beautiful!" the blonde says before heading for a nearby light switch. "Let's enjoy it together"

Flipping the light switch turns off the lights and brings renewed focus to the couch as the moonlight streams onto it.

"I've wanted to spend Christmas with you for so long and now I finally get the chance" Usagi admits softly while twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"Me too, I know you've been trying to get my attention lately..." Mamoru says, admitting some of his feelings aloud.

Usagi pours out her heart and lets him know her inner most feelings and desires. "Yes, I'm ready for more, I need your love, Mamo-chan. I'm not that bratty teen from three years ago, I'm a woman and future queen"

"This is a special holiday for couples" Mamoru adds, not wanting to sound too eager.

The blonde blushes. "Yes... so I bought something that I wanted to save for a special night- do you want to see it?"

A slight nod confirms the request, Usagi takes her bag and heads into the bathroom to change. When she is ready, she calls out for her boyfriend to close his eyes, which he does.

"Are your eyes closed?"

"Yes"

"Okay, I'll let you know when to open them..." the grinning Usagi says as she tiptoes over to the couch and sits down, allowing her body to be bathed in moonlight. "Okay, you can look..."

Slowly, Mamoru opens his eyes and finally the mystery item(s) are revealed... moonlight dances off of Usagi's fair skin as she stares thoughtfully across the room, full lost in thought.

Words fail the Guardian of Earth and he just sticks to the basics. "Wow... that is beautiful and sexy..."

"Thanks!" is the reply back, though Usagi continues to stare in a different direction from that of her boyfriend.

"What do you umm... call that outfit?" Mamoru's eyes absorb the details of the lingerie while Usagi replies.

"A babydoll... white is definitely one of my favorite colors so I chose one in white. It's very comfortable" Usagi says softly before closing her eyes. "I've thought about my actions and what happened to everyone ever since that first vision and now that things have changed... I feel worse. I didn't kill anyone with my actions, yet I still feel responsible"

Impressed by her maturity, Mamoru smiles. "I do, too... we need to work together, as a couple. If we're the rulers, we need to rule with wisdom"

"True, and I can't stand to see any of my friends suffer, not a single one" Usagi turns and smiles at Mamoru, knowing her body is bathed in moonlight. "Fly me to the moon..."

"Huh?"

"It's an old song... or maybe you can't remember it because your eyes are devouring me, Mamo-chan" a wink follows that comment, making Usagi's boyfriend blush even more.

The soft white fabric of the baby doll with the sheer lace attached the upper body part of the lingerie serves to tease while covering her body down past her hips, a hint of lace can be seen by Usagi's current pose, leaving Mamoru to wonder what kind of panties she's wearing...

Despite the perception of sounding perverted by replying to the last comment, Mamoru decides it's best to be honest about his desires for his girlfriend. "Maybe you're right"

"You and I should've won that bet" is the random reply from Usagi as she scoots closer. "The only thing I want for Christmas is love and happiness, for the others and for us. I made a promise to myself when we left to help Minako and Makoto with their man problem and to make sure Hotaru isn't decieved- I think that's a good start"

"Meddling is one of your specialties" Mamoru says with a grin.

Not liking that response, the blonde playfully jabs her finger into his chest. "Hey! I'm just doing it for them, you and I are lucky, we've been in love the longest and are both going to be around for a while..."

"Which none of the other couples except for Haruka and Michiru can claim, that explains the jealousy in the original vision"

"Exactly!" Usagi moves in for a hug, wrapping her arms around the nervous Mamoru. "We all need love, especially now"

Mamoru tries not to look down at Usagi's chest but fails after a few seconds resistance. "Yeah..."

Feeling the desire to snuggle and be intimate overwhelming her every though, Usagi presses herself against his body and gently kisses his neck. She can feel him react a few moments later, his hands begin feeling the fabric of the babydoll on her back and move down, eventually ending up on her behind...

"Now I can see them" he mutters softly as the sheer fabric is moved out of the way, bringing the white lace panties into view.

"Naughty Mamo-chan- first it was your hands on my breasts and now on my butt" Usagi says softly while secretly enjoying his sudden curious urges.

"That umm... did feel good earlier..." he admits softly while gently squeezing her behind, wanting to show some affection without setting any "fires of passion", at least not right away. "I love you, Usako"

"I love you too, Mamo-chan"

The blonde pulls away just a bit and repositions herself into his lap before pulling at his sweater. "Aren't you hot in that?"

Raising his arms, Mamoru's actions agree with her conclusion. She tosses the black sweater aside and rubs her hands on his black undershirt, enjoying the feeling of his well defined chest underneath the soft fabric. "You're quite handsome, you know?"

"And you're beautiful..." Mamoru smiles and watches the moonlight dance on her skin. "Goddess of the Moon"

To reward Mamoru's compliment and herself, the blushing blonde begins removing another obstacle to what she needs, his black undershirt, bringing his chest into view.

"If you can see my chest, then I can see yours!" she says softly before going in for a kiss, pressing her body forward. Mamoru slowly sinks back on the couch, his body soon resting at an angle on some pillows at the end of the couch as his girlfriend lets more and more of her lusts and desires manifest themselves.

'I need to make a decision here before it gets too far' he thinks while returning her kisses. 'She's ready for this but am I? Is it the right time to make that jump in our relationship?'

Needing an answer to this important question, Mamoru throws his own desires into the mix, deciding to play things "by feel"...

Usagi moans softly as Mamoru begins carressing her behind and hips, his lips leave hers and head for her neck, catching her off guard. Her head rolls to the side as he gently kisses her neck, first on the left and then on the right.

"Usagi..."

"Mmm, Mamoru... you do want me..."

"I was hoping for some time with you, as a Christmas present" is the whispered reply. "You read my mind... and made that deal with your brother despite the risks"

Usagi's head rolls to the left as he begins kissing her neck again. "Nothing is going to stop me from seeing you, you're my destiny... mmm"

Both parties begin to lose themselves in the moment as the kissing and feeling continues... Usagi, wanting to help with his problem of "feeling too hot" and to keep things balanced, wants to see what underwear he has on.

Mamoru feels the tug on his pants and reacts. "Usagi, what are you..."

"Balancing things out, you see my underwear so now I get to see yours" is her answer as she slowly takes off his pants, enjoying every moment of the foreplay between them. He feels her breasts rubbing against his chest and closes his eyes as they move lower and lower, coinciding with the removal of his pants.

'She's really turning me on...'

Usagi can't read his mind but it's quite obvious to her that he likes what she's doing as the pants are removed. 'He does want me and I want him...'

Once the pants are removed Usagi climbs back into his lap and looks down at her lover. "Mamo-chan, I've dreamed of the day when you and I would... show our true feelings"

"Me too" he admits shyly. "I'm sorry if I've been holding back"

"Mamoru..." Usagi coos, liking what she just heard. "Show me what feelings you've been holding back"

With the last of his personal restraints unloosened, Mamoru does just that, boldly reaching out for his lovers' well developed bosom and massages her breasts with his hands. 'What happened earlier tonight was an accident but this time it's for real'

"You're so busty, Usako"

Usagi, lost in the pleasure of the moment, says only a few words. "Mmm, don't stop..."

The heat between the two lovers continues to increase as the top of the babydoll is removed... and a few minutes later, the rest of the clothing on both parties as they express their love in the glow of the moonlight...

The night quickly becomes the day and in the early morning hours of Christmas Day, Urawa wakes up and, upon seeing Ami snuggled against him, smiles. 'She's okay, I dreamt something happened to her...'

Upon closer inspection, however, he notices the tears coming from his sleeping girlfriend and immediately gets concerned.

"Ami, Ami, wake up" he says in a whisper, not wanting to startle her. After repeating her name again, the young woman stirs, slowly opening her eyes. Upon seeing her true love, alive, her arms quickly tighten their embrace. "You're alive!"

"Of course" Urawa says softly. "You must've been having a nightmare"

"Yeah" Ami sniffles. "The train..."

Knowing Ami has been haunted by that vision of his death in a train accident in the future, Urawa tries his best to comfort her, gently rubbing her back and allowing her to hold him, helping her realize that this is reality, not the nightmare.

"It'll be all right" Urawa says softly as Ami finally stops crying and slowly settles down. She whispers a few words in his ear, causing him to nod his head.

"Despite what we saw, you still give me hope, Ami. I had no idea I could be like you..."

"Neither did I. I wanted you, regardless... and the vision of the future with me and that A.I. made me sad, because no matter who it was I bonded with, they eventually died" Ami gently pulls back and looks her boyfriend in the eye.

"Thanks to Rei and Yuuchiro, we've already seen a way to change the future"

"Your friend from the future, Usagi, seems bent on changing things as well. I promise to be careful, Ami"

Trying to lighten the mood, Ami attempts to make a joke. "Too bad you just can't walk home"

"Yeah... but I can stay here for a little while. I was hoping for..." Urawa blushes. "A nice Christmas with you"

"Me too- I wanted to express myself to you, that was my wish" Ami looks down and blushes. "As you can see... mission accomplished"

"Ami, I..."

Urawa's words are cut off by a finger to his lips as Ami tells him to stop speaking. She snuggles her body against his and quietly kisses his neck.

"When we're ready, we'll do more... but for now, I want to kiss you and hold you" Ami says, feeling bolder about her feelings then ever before.

"Okay, that's a deal... mmm... Ami,,, are you sure we should be doing this out here?" Urawa says, making her aware of the situation of her mom being home now.

Ami nods at the wall clock. "It's only six o'clock, she's sleeping. We're not"

Urawa grins. "Since when did you get a naughty side?"

No verbal response is given to that question right away, Ami's kisses serve to distract her boyfriend and add more curiosity to his mind. He hears the words "shy ones" as the make out session becomes more intense, yet controlled as the blanket stays on over both half dressed teens. A little while later, when the sound of a door opening in the distance is heard, both pretend to be asleep as Ami's mother walks into the room and glances outside at the falling snow before looking at her daughter and her boyfriend snuggled under the blanket.

'She's growing up so fast... but it's nice to see her reaching out for more then just the printed page'

After gently patting her daughter on the head, Ami's mother heads back to bed. Both teens breath a sigh of relief as the coast is once again clear. Ami has only one question for her boyfriend.

"How late can you stay today? I want to spend some more time with you..."

"If I make a phone call and well, umm... get drilled about spending a night with you again, I can stay for the rest of the day. We're going back over to Setsuna's apartment, right?"

Despite feeling a little hesitation after hearing Setsuna's name, Ami takes a deep breath and answers him. "After breakfast, I think better on a full stomach and I think we need all the help we can get"

"Okay"

Urawa and Ami hold each other like there's no tomorrow a s the clock ticks forward towards breakfast time...

In the fresh morning light, Hotaru is out for a walk, wanting to get her mind off of the terrible things she witnessed last time. Mentally she wonders why no one would sincerely want her, being shy and soft-spoken shouldn't be too much of a disqualifier, after all, Ami found a very nice boyfriend.

During her walk on the quiet streets of Azu-Juban, Hotaru passes near Usagi's house and decides to stop in and see if she's up yet. When she rings the doorbell, Usagi's younger brother answers the door.

"Can I help you?"

"Oh, sorry, my name is Hotaru and I'm looking for Usagi... I'm one of her friends"

Shingo nods at the stairs behind him. "My sister is busy doing something upstairs but come in, her boyfriend is in the living room"

Hotaru bows and then comes inside. "Thank you"

Shingo closes the door behind her and heads back in to the living room. Hotaru takes off her shoes and heads in there herself and finds Shingo playing a video game with Mamoru.

"You're pretty good" Mamoru comments as he gets beaten yet again.

"I'm the best, don't let my sister fool you..." Shingo says proudly.

Seeing a familiar video game on the screen, Hotaru speaks up. "Can I play?"

Mamoru turns around and sees the new visitor. "Hey it's Hotaru"

"Good morning, Mamoru" the purple haired girl replies politely.

Motioning at the space next to him, "Have a seat, I could use a break- Uasgi's brother has been kicking my butt this morning"

"Okay" Hotaru takes a seat and takes the offered game controller. "I'm ready"

"I hope you know how to play..." Shingo says as he starts another round. Mamoru silently wonders if Hotaru will show her true skills here, having two parents that are video game junkies tends to wear off on the offspring...

For a few moments, Shingo is in the lead but soon Hotaru catches up, making Usagi's younger brother quite nervous. 'Who is this girl and how does she know how to play so well?'

"Better watch it Shingo" the now grinning Mamoru says as Hotaru's race car begins passing his.

"What the..."

In the blink of an eye, the two have exchange positions. Despite his best efforts, Shingo is unable to catch back up to his opponent and ends up losing the race.

"How'd you do that?" the curious Shingo asks his newest competition.

"I've got lots of experience with games like these, especially racing games, due to lots of time at the arcade" Hotaru says softly, not wanting to sound too confident about her win.

"Really?" Shingo cannot believe what he just heard. "It must be a lot of time, I can tell from just one race"

"Her adoptive parents spend lots of time there, so I'm not surprised she won" Mamoru adds, filling Shingo in on some more details.

"I see..." Usagi's younger brother wants to see if this really true or just a fluke. 'It's just one race, let's see her do that again on one of the harder courses'

Mamoru watches as Shingo changes the level and some of the parameters to one of the most difficult settings and wonders what the young man is up to.

"I'll play yah again Hotaru"

Seeing another fun challenge presenting itself, Hotaru cannot help but say "Okay" and think about the course. A few seconds later the sound of bells are heard as the timer counts down to the start of the race. Mamoru watches as the two fight for 1st place, dodging computer controlled cars en route.

"Snow course- not one of Usagi's favorites..." Mamoru comments as he sees more of the course.

"Nope, my sister hates this course" Shingo replies while powersliding around a corner, only to see Hoaru's car slide by in an even tighter curve.

"Woah, you're good but it's not over yet..."

The silent Hotaru realizes that he's pretty good and focuses all of her abilities on the race. As the race nears the final lap, the pair are still neck and neck... until the last turn when Hotaru cuts Shingo off and wins the race.

"Looks like I won"

Shingo is forced to acknowledge his loss to this new player. "Not bad"

"Looks like someone just got their butt kicked" Usagi chimes in from behind the couch, teasing her brother. He turns around and replies to her taunt.

"Like you could've done any better, you're horrible at this course. Even your boyfriend couldn't beat me..."

"True, but some of my friends like Hotaru here are experts, you've played against Haruka before"

Remembering the name, Shingo has visions of a more aggressive and crazy driver who wasn't afraid to speak her mind before, during, and after the race- the total opposite of his current opponent, Hotaru.

Shingo shrugs his shoulders. "Whatever sis"

Usagi turns her attention back to Hotaru. "What brings you here this morning?"

"I went out for a walk and since I was in the area, I wanted to see if you were up. There's been a lot of my mind..."

"Yeah..." Usagi says, quietly acknowledging the vision that they witnessed last night. "I understand what you mean"

Mamoru nods towards the doorway. "We're headed back to Setsuna's apartment, why don't you come with us?"

Hotaru smiles. "Sure, by the time we get there everyone should be awake"

"I should hope so unless they started drinking with our pink friend" Usagi says jokingly.

"I hope not" Mamoru says sternly before standing up. "It was good seeing you again, Shingo. Maybe I'll give you more competition next time"

"Okay, see you next time. Nice meeting you, Hotaru"

Hotaru blushes slightly. "Nice to meet you, too"

The trio head towards the door and depart, leaving Shingo alone and more curious then ever about his sister's friends, especially the shy one that was just here. 'That girl is good, I would've never taken her for a video game player. Maybe I'll get to play against her sometime'

On the way over to Setsuna's apartment, Mamoru asks Usagi what took her so long to get ready. The blonde blushes slightly and whispers in his ear.

"I had to pick out something nice for later, we're going to your place again afterwards, right? I can't stay too long but I do have something I've been waiting months to show you"

A blush forms on Mamoru's face as well and he silently nods his head and takes his mischevious girlfriends' hand and holds it. Hotaru sees this and wonders if she'll ever find the right person to do the same thing with...

Across town in Setsuna's apartment some of the overnight guests begin to awaken, still feeling the effects of last nights vision and alcohol consumption. The first up is the former Chibi-Usa who sleepily wanders out of her room in her pajamas to see if anyone's up yet. She sees Rei yawning and heads towards her...

"Good morning"

"Good morning" Rei looks at Usagi and her eyes narrow. "Just wake up?"

Usagi rubs her stomach. "Yeah"

"I can tell, you're just like your mom" is her reply, nodding at her pajamas and how disheveled they are, with a few buttons unbuttoned. Usagi looks down and quickly buttons them up so as not incur the wrath of Rei... who's boyfriend is beginning to wake right next to her.

"Looks like Sailor Angus is waking up"

Rei nudges her boyfriend, "Wake up"

"Huh, what?" Yuuchiro rubs his eyes. "Oh, good morning"

Usagi rubs her stomach again. "I'll make us something to eat, but let me see what everyone wants first..."

"As long as your cooking is better then your mother's" Rei adds with a smile.

"Of course it is..." Usagi turns her attention to the sleeping Makoto and Minako next. She sees Luna sleeping in Makoto's lap and gently pets the black cat. Turning to Minako, she expects to find Artemis in her lap... but finds the white cat caught in her grip, being clutched to her chest.

"Don't die Artemis, don't die!" she mumbles in her sleep as Artemis slowly wakes up.

"Don't die? Ahhh!" Waking from his own nightmare of an untimely death, Artemis finds himself in a situation of a different kind, his body being tightly squeezed by Minako's hands and his face being buried in her chest.

"I can't breathe!" the white cat exclaims as he tries to avoid sufficating in the blonde's cleavage, his whiskers twitch as they rub against the fabric of her sweater.

Despite the situation, Luna manages to crack a smile. "She loves you, Artemis, why are you complaining?"

"Because I need air!" is the reply as the white cat wriggles loose and gently paws at Minako's nose, finally getting her to wake up.

"Artemis!" Minako exclaims, tears in her eyes.

"I'm fine, don't worry- you were just having a nightmare" Artemis quickly hops away to the safety of the floor where Luna joins him.

"That's good- I was afraid that guy killed you..." the blonde says softly while gently wiping away the tears. "Let me see if I can find you and Luna some food..."

"I like the sound of that, thanks Minako" Luna says while purring appreciatively. Rei and Yuuchiro exchange silent glances as their friend leaves the room, knowing that everyone has been traumatized in one way or another by last night's vision.

Setsuna wakes up a little while later and heads into the living room where she wakes up Michiru and Haruka who had been sleeping, their hands held tightly to one another.

"Thanks Setsuna, we don't want to waste the whole day sleeping" Haruka jokes while her partner rubs her eyes. Michiru, noticing what her friend is wearing, makes a comment.

"I've never seen that outfit before, where'd you get those pajamas?"

A small smile forms on Setsuna's face and she nods at the kitchen. "On a shopping trip with Usagi over there, do you like them?"

"Definitely your color" Haruka says, noting the jet black color.

"Is that silk?" Michiru reaches out and Setsuna moves closer, allowing her friend to feel the fabric on her arm. "It is silk!"

"Something like that would be perfect for you, in blue of course" Haruka subtly suggests.

All this attention causes Usagi to peek her head into the room. "Are you guys checking out Setsuna's fancy new P.J.'s?"

Having an idea for a shopping trip and a bonding opportunity with the former Chibi-Usa, Michuru makes a suggestion. "You have to tell us where we can get our own"

Usagi smiles. "Okay, sure- but let me show you mine... I have to wake up sleepyhead anyways..."

The pink Usagi quickly darts out of the room and takes off her shirt and pants, tossing them on her sleeping boyfriend who wakes up when the clothing hits his face.

"Wake up, it's morning! We're showing off pajamas in the living room"

Helios pushes the clothes off his face and sees his girlfriend putting on her pink silk pajamas which causes him to blush. "Oh, that set- it's very fancy, I like it..."

"Good, let's go... I'm making breakfast, anyways"

By the time Usagi gets dressed and returns to the living room, everyone is around Setsuna admiring the pajamas- which makes her a bit nervous due to all of the attention she's recieving.

"Okay everyone, what about this set? Pink is a nice color after all" Usagi makes a modeling pose and all eyes turn to look at her, giving the beleagured Setsuna a much needed breather. The Senshi of Pluto takes a seat and relaxes, just in time to see Ami and Urawa arrive, followed a moment later by Hotaru, blonde Usagi, and Mamoru.

"Looks like the gang's all here!" Pink Usagi exclaims as she waves the crowd inside. All the new arrivals take off their shoes and jackets and see what all the excitement is about...

The two guardian cats watch everything from the couch and exchange glances. Luna is the first to comment on the situation.

"Feels like a normal Christmas Day, at least with everyone together"

"Yeah, but this is one Christmas none of us will ever forget. I hope we can get some ideas together to alter the future more, I don't want get killed by some pervert" Artemis says with a hint of disgust at the end.

"Don't worry- now that I know who we're looking for, I'll be sure to tell him "No", no matter how hot he is" Minako chimes in.

"Umm, me too..." Makoto adds softly, not wanting to start an arguement with her blonde friend.

Usagi points her finger at Minako and then Makoto. "You two better, fighting over a man is no good, especially when he's a player like that guy!"

Rei has a smart reply for that. "This from the woman who was willing to..."

"Quiet!" Blonde Usagi exclaims, forgetting about her own actions in the past.

"The fun never ends with you guys..." Michiru says while supressing the urge to giggle. "It does show that you care, though"

"I think we should all go shopping tomorrow- it won't be too busy and then the rest of you can get your own silk pajamas" Pink Usagi says before doing a modeling pose.

"That's a good idea- but how are they going to afford it? That looks very expensive" Mamoru says, noting the quality of the material and the look of both his future daughter and Setsuna.

Hotaru points at pink Usagi and Setsuna turns to look at her. "I didn't buy it, she did..." both say simultaneously.

"How'd you do that? Did you rob a bank on your way in from the future?" blonde Usagi says suspiciously.

"Relax mom, I came prepared from the future... I have enough money to cover everyone..."

"I'm glad to see someone's thinking ahead..." Luna says with a grin.

"Hey! I'm a lot better then I was before... so don't knock my planning skills, Luna" Blonde Usagi looks down at her guardian cat. "Anymore out of you and your present's going back to the store"

Knowing when to quit, the black cat backs off. "Okay, okay..."

Helios tugs on his girlfriends' sleeve. "How about I make us all some breakfast?"

Pink Usagi spins around and points at the males present. "Good idea! Let's get the men into the kitchen for once!"

Mamoru shrugs his shoulders and begins walking towards the kitchen... Rei gently elbows Yuuchiro and he follows suit, Urawa needs only a glance from Ami to get himself motivated. Helios joins the group in the kitchen and soon the sound of cooking activity fills the room. The women, meanwhile, plan out their shopping day. Each one has plans in mind for after shopping as well...

Once breakfast is ready, everyone gathers in the front room and enjoys the wonderful culinary creations whipped up by the males of the group. After a rough night and a more promising plan for the near term the Senshi go their seperate ways once the Christmas morning breakfast is completed. Minako and Makoto take a longing glance at the video arcade on their way home while Rei takes the long way home with her boyfriend, enjoying the time out walking with him. True to his word, Urawa stops by Ami's place for a little while and spends some time with her before heading home, being ever mindful of his surroundings... especially when on the train.

Hotaru heads home with her adoptive parents who've already formulated a post-shopping plan of their own... Setsuna, Pink Usagi, and Helios clean up the mess from breakfast and spend some time talking and playing video games together... though Setsuna wonders why she seems to be everyone's target in the future. 'Why am I always taken out? Do I need to work on my fighting skills?'

For the most part all of the Christmas activities are low key... but blonde Usagi, having another chance for a few hours alone with her boyfriend on this special day, refuses to pass it up. She happily holds his hand as they walk down the snow covered streets towards his place...

End part C and end chapter 8. To be continued in chapter 9: Snow Break. 


	14. Chapter 14: Snow Break Part A

Start chapter 9, Snow Break:

Part A

"This weather is just perfect, a few flurries, not too cold..."

"You really love the snow" Mamoru says, making an observation.

"Well, snow has something to do with my surprise" she says softly.

"Really? I'm clueless then about what you've got in that bag"

"You'll see shortly" is all the blonde will say as they approach his apartment building. Once inside his apartment, Mamoru takes their coats and Usagi quickly takes her bag and heads into the bathroom.

"No peeking!" she says with a wink.

"Don't worry, I'm eager to find out the answer to this snow mystery- the right way" Mamoru conceeds, having a good hunch that there may be a repeat of last night- not like that would be a bad thing...

Wanting to tease and keep her boyfriend off balance, especially on an important day like today, Usagi changes and emerges look exactly the same as before, much to the surprise of Mamoru.

"What do you think, Mamo-chan?"

"Huh? I don't see anything different, Usako"

Usagi is incensed. "Nothing different?"

"You still look gorgeous..."

"Oh..." Usagi looks down and realizes that the white satin shirt she's wearing, as loose as it is, is still covering her new lingerie. "Sorry, I thought this was open..."

"I do like that white snowflake pattern on your shirt- just how did you save enough money to buy that? It looks expensive"

"It was, but if you want something bad enough..." the blonde goes in "sultry" mode. "You make sacrifices to get it..."

Mamoru blushes. "Yes, you do..."

"I want you, Mamo-chan... especially today..."

"Me too"

Usagi saunters up to Mamoru and kisses his cheek. His reply is to let his lover into his arms and allow her to snuggle against his body. "Usako..."

"Mamo-chan- merry Christmas"

"Merry Christmas, Usako"

Before things can go any further, Usagi pulls back and tugs on his arm. "This way..."

"Huh? What are you doing?"

"This time, let's do it in your bed... it's been one of my greatest fantasies. Please make my dreams come true..."

Mamoru is momentarily shocked by her admission... but knows it's one of his fantasies as well. "Of course... and I've had the same umm... thought myself... especially lately"

Usagi giggles, knowing what he means by that. 'All that low cut clothing and me showing off my sexuality has finally got him noticing me more, even causing some naughty dreams'

The lovers take a few steps towards the door and then Usagi feels his arms wrap around her waist. "You mentioned something about snow before... did you mean your shirt?"

"Yes, it has a snow pattern... and I want it to melt off so you can see more of me"

"I can help with that..." Mamoru says with a naughty grin as he reaches up and unbuttons the few remaining obstacles to whatever Usagi's wearing underneath, if anything at all. The blonde takes a deep breath as her shirt falls to the ground.

"Thanks"

"No problem my love"

Usagi turns around and winks at her love. "This is the rest of the snowflake themed outfit... I'll let you take a closer look over... there..."

Mamoru takes a moment to gaze at the white lace bra with snowflake design and cute bikini cut panties, also of the same pattern before moving further into the bedroom for a "closer inspection" as the heat of the room soon rises to the point that it "melts" right off of her, along with his clothes as well.

About an hour later, Usagi heads home alone, a wide smile on her face as she walks along the snow covered sidewalks leading to her home. When she gets in she finds her brother waiting for her by the door.

"Hey it's about time you got home..." Shingo says with a hint of warning in his voice.

"I just had to make a stop somewhere on the way back..." is Usagi's careful response to that.

Shingo doesn't believe one word of that. "Heh, I'm sure... but lucky for you, Mom and Dad aren't home yet. They'll be home in about an hour"

"Then it must be my lucky day then..." Usagi says before taking off her shoes. She notices her brother staring at her and she gets annoyed.

"Can I help you with something?"

"That's the second time I've seen you leave with a pink VS bag and come back with nothing... I think you and your boyfriend are having s..."

Usagi blushes and interrupts her brother. "Hush you! You're still too young to..."

"I'm not that young anymore, silly... I know what's going on here" is his reply while pointing at his sister.

Quickly Usagi fumbles for her purse. "How much to keep you quiet?"

"Hmm..." Shingo thinks about that for a moment. "A months allowance... and a phone call"

The blonde gasps at the price of his silence. "That's a little much, don't yah think?"

The younger Tsukino shakes his head. "Not for the information I have... the fact that you went right for your purse proved me right"

"Fine, fine... you'll get it in a few minutes... I actually have a little more then that saved upstairs. You said something about a phone call?"

"Yeah I wanna play that friend of yours again, the one that was here yesterday"

"Hotaru? Of course I can have her stop by again..." Usagi's eyes narrow. "You're in the mood to lose I see..."

"I just won the lottery just now with you... I guess I can afford to lose a little..." is his sneaky reply which pisses off his sister.

"I'm gonna get you back for this, just you wait and see!"

"I'll be waiting..."

Muttering curse words under her breath, Usagi storms upstairs, angry over being caught by her brother and blackmailed... but silence is worth it the blonde finally decides as she enters her room. 'Mamo-chan is my man... and I need him... no matter what the cost. I've already seen what happened to the others without their special partners...'

With a heavy sigh, the blonde heads for her stash of money and peels back several bills, bemoaning the lack of funds left over. 'At least my secret will be safe... and I am getting some free stuff tomorrow when we go shopping so it's not too big of a deal. Let's go make sure he still wants to deal...'

"AHEM" Usagi clears her throat loudly and Shingo turns around on the couch and peers over at his sister. "I see you're back- do you have my money?"

"Yes I do..." the blonde says as she walks over to the couch and hands over the money. "Merry Christmas" the now grouchy Usagi says before taking a deep breath. "Not a word about what you saw"

"Not a word... and thanks for the extra Christmas present sis. I appreciate it" Shingo says happily. "Don't forget about my phone call- I want to play that girl again"

Now's Usagi's turn to tease her brother a little. "Oh, don't worry about that... I'll make sure she's here bright and early tomorrow morning. I'll be looking forward to seeing you "go back to school" as she burns up the road and leaves you in the dust"

"Yeah, yeah... that could've been a fluke and I was tired... could've been that, too"

The blonde shakes her head. "Excuses, excuses... I'll be back..."

Usagi temporarily leaves her brother to make the phone call in question. When the phone on the other line is picked up, Hotaru is surprised to hear the request.

"Me? He wants to play me again?"

"Yeah, it must be a man thing... they don't like to lose, especially to girls"

Hotaru gladly accepts the request. "Sure, I don't mind. I'll be over at 8:00 A.M. then because I think we're going to hit the store around 9:30, since it's the post-Christmas sale"

"I see... well, I hope our pink friend has as much money as she says she does. Why don't you bring over those new pajamas of yours, too. I want to check them out before I go buy my own"

"No problem! I'll see you tomorrow then. Merry Christmas, Usagi"

Usagi smiles. "Merry Christmas, Hotaru"

Shingo hears footsteps behind him and a moment later, sees his sister plop down on the couch next to him. "She'll be over at 8 A.M. tomorrow"

"Okay... but why so early?"

"We're have a group shopping trip tomorrow- it's a girl thing you know"

Shingo's eyes narrow. "How can you go shopping after I cleaned out most of your money? Where are you guys going, the Salvation Army?"

Usagi sticks out her tongue. "Not funny!"

The younger Tsukino rolls his eyes. "Well, where are you going?"

"Shopping for pajamas, fancy pajamas. Some of my friends got these nice silk P.J.'s and they're going buy me a set, too"

After hearing the word "Silk", Shingo is shocked. "Sounds expensive- you must have some rich friends!"

"Well, one of them is... or claims to be..." Usagi's voice trails off at the end.

"Must be nice..." is the soft reply by her brother as he settles back into the couch.

"Well, money isn't everything... I'd rather have love!" the blonde says with a giggle.

"Speaking of that, it's good that you did get caught a while back. If you're as genuine with this Mamoru guy as you say, you don't want to hide it from them"

Impressed by what she just heard, Usagi nods her head and then smiles at her brother. "I guess you are grown up now"

"Of course I am"

Usagi the matchmaker gets mentally ready for another task that has suddenly presented itself. "Then I need to help you out with love... you need a girlfriend!"

"A girlfriend? I'm kinda busy right now"

"How can you be busy? We're on break from school and you don't have that much homework... you should never be too busy for love!"

"I guess it's just not the right time for me..." is his soft reply.

Usagi snaps her fingers. "Hey, wait a second- didn't I hear a female voice up in your room a few weeks back?"

"That was just one of my school friends, stopping by to pick up an assignment. She stayed for five minutes, that's all..." Shingo replies with a straight face.

Usagi doesn't believe him and moves closer. "That's all?"

Anger begins building inside Shingo as he prepares to defend himself. "I said that's all! Why don't you believe me? I'm not ready to be doing what you're doing, sis..."

The blonde feigns a look of shock. "What I'm doing?"

Shingo grins. "Like I said when you walked in the door, I know what you're up to with your significant other and I'm not ready for that kinda thing right now"

Reaching out, Usagi pats Shingo playfully on the head a few times, causing him to blush. "I should hope not, you're a little too young to be worrying about THAT"

Before Shingo can reply to that, the sound of a lock unlocking in the distance is heard, signalling the arrival of their parents. Usagi suddenly feels very nervous...

"You saw nothing!" she exclaims.

Shingo nods his head and replies in a sarcastic manner. "I didn't see any Victoria's Secret bags fly out the door into the night, no ma'am"

Usagi takes a deep breath and tries to calm down as the door is opened. "Good, and it better stay that way!"

"It will- as long as I see Hotaru for a rematch tomorrow morning..." Shingo says as he stands up. "Let's go greet Mom and Dad"

"Okay..."

As the Tsukino siblings welcome back their parents, the other Senshi are involved in various other things on Christmas day. Across town, Hotaru rejoins her two guardians at the table and continues eating her Christmas lunch...

"Who was that on the phone?" Michiru asks, wondering who called.

"It was Usagi... she wants me to come over before our shopping trip tomorrow" is Hotaru's soft reply. "Her brother wants to play again me again"

"I see..." Haruka says with a nod. "I hope you won- our little group has a reputation you know!"

Hotaru smiles. "Don't worry, I beat him... though he's pretty decent. Usagi said he challenged me again because it's a man thing"

Michiru begins laughing. "It might be... but ladies can be competitive, too- especially when it comes to certain matters..."

"Well, you can always leave a nice after Christmas present then. Come to think of it, I think I've played him before as well... definitely better then his sister" Haruka says with a grin before beginning to laugh. All three Senshi begin laughing at Usagi's expense... most games, whether arcade or home console, are definitely not the blonde's forte.

"Speaking of presents, thanks for the necklace with the "number 1" on it" Michiru says, looking down at said necklace on her neck.

"I like mine, too- I'm glad you think we're doing a good job here" the beaming Haruka says proudly.

"No problem" Hotaru says with a smile before reaching for a nearby present with her name on it. "What's this?"

Michiru smiles. "Open it up and see... I'm sure you'll like it"

Eagerly, Hotaru opens the wrapping and finds a large painting underneath. "Wow..."

"I call it 'Christmas on Saturn'..." the aqua haired artist notes as her charge looks over the painting. "Something positive and upbeat about being who you are"

"I like the background with my planet on it, decorated with the Christmas lights and a giant tree... and is that me in a race car? It looks like I'm driving on the rings..."

Haruka raises her hand. "My idea there... and I painted that in. I know I'm not as good as Michiru but racing is my forte and it's one thing you also excel at. You're definitely a speed demon on the course"

"Thank you... thank you both so much!" is Hotaru's reply before putting down the painting and hugging both of her guardians. "I never saw this coming... and it makes me feel good about myself"

"As does your present, Hotaru" the beaming Michiru says. "Let's get something to eat and we'll talk some more"

The two elder Senshi head into the kitchen for some food and Michiru makes a comment to her partner.

"So who's number one of us two number ones?" she says playfully.

"You are" is Haruka's quick reply. "I'll show you later what I mean"

The wink after that comment causes Michiru to blush. "Bad girl..."

"What? I'm just expressing my feelings and besides, this is a holiday for couples. I feel a bit sorry for Hotaru, though- she doesn't have a second half to share the holiday with like we do"

Michiru places a hand on Haruka's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be fine for now... and she does have us after all"

"We all have each other for support... and that's why we're not giving up hope"

The pair grab some snacks and return to the living room, sharing their food and conversation in an attempt to have a "normal" holiday as the snow outside gently falls, leaving everyone with a "White Christmas"...

In another apartment block, Mamoru sits on his couch and looks at several pictures he has on the table in front of him. Most are of him and Usagi, though some are group pictures with the other Senshi, taken at better times.

"I just don't get it... but yet, I do get it. Everyone needs someone else in this group... it wasn't apparent right away but after 1000 years, it just boiled over"

Pausing to sip on his beer, a most unusual choice but somehow compelling during this time, Mamoru continues to stare at the pictures. "I love Usagi but how could that love lead to so much destruction? I hope she keeps a lid on what we're doing for a while, I don't want the present to end up like the future..."

Reclining back, Mamoru looks up at the ceiling and mumbles only one word before closing his eyes... "Usako"...

As the snow falls, pleasant smells come out of another window as Makoto, faced again with another Christmas alone, loses herself in her cooking... though doing so in a most unusual way.

'It feels funny doing this while wearing just this lingerie but I want to make sure it's comfortable' she notes as she puts the finish touches on the topping for her apple pie. The pie in question is on an open windowsill, with the window open just a little to allow the cold air to cool it off. Makoto takes the opportunity to look at herself in the mirror.

'Sexy and functional, I like it!' she thinks as she admires the way the green panties with the attaching sheer skirt show off her lower curves while the green lace bra shows off her upper curves nicely. "I won't give up, no matter what" the brunette says to herself softly while touching the mirror.

"Next Christmas, I promise I won't be alone... and it'll be with the right guy. Not my friend's boyfriend... or a player. The real deal, someone dependable and worth being with for eternity"

After a few moments staring in the mirror, Makoto turns around and closes her window. She examines the pie and finds it's cooled off and ready to eat... and, in an effort to hide her depression, the brunette goes to the kitchen and tops the pie and begins drowning her troubles in her culinary creation, eating a fair amount of the pie before going to lie down, filled with food and attempts at optimistic thoughts for the holiday.

'At least tomorrow I'll be with my friends... and we'll be shopping for some fun stuff!'

In another part of the city, another single Senshi is taking a different approach to the day, finding a friend to spend it with instead. The pair make some snacks and watch a movie together as the evening goes into deep night...

Minako, relaxing in an "EZ chair", watches a Christmas movie with her friend and guardian cat, Artemis, who sits on the large right arm of the chair.

"Thanks for the tuna, it's delicious!" Artemis says happily.

"No problem! It's nice to have someone to spend the night with..." the cheerful Minako replies before grabbing another handful of popcorn.

"Minako... I'm always happy to help out"

Both go back to watching the movie and then, in a very serious tone, Minako makes a comment. "Artemis, promise me something"

The curious kitty turns to look at her. "What's that?"

"That you'll keep me out of trouble..."

Artemis's eyes go wide. "Oh?"

The blonde continues. "That vision... with my husband and Makoto... I don't need someone bad enough to risk that kind of situation. I love my friends, too... and I don't want to be blindsided just because a man may be... attractive"

"I'll do my best- but you need to stop and think before jumping into things of this nature. Take your time... you will live forever so don't take the first guy- unless he's the right one"

Minako begins gently petting Artemis. "Thanks, Artemis. I know I can be silly sometimes but..."

"Minako, don't worry about it. You're a fun person and any guy would be stupid to turn you down..."

The blonde gently pats Artemis on the head. "I appreciate that... let's watch the rest of this movie, together... and tomorrow, after I do my shopping with the girls, we'll go out for a walk together"

"Okay"

A little while later, the movie comes to an end and Minako, feeling very tired, eases back in her chair.

"Still up, Artemis?" the blonde says softly.

"Barely" the white cat replies.

"I'm going to sleep here... but I want to do something before I go to sleep"

Without warning, Minako gently picks up her friend and places him so that his head is against her chest.

"Minako!"

"Please stay... I want to have a friend, close to my heart tonight of all nights" is the soft reply as the blonde adjusts her position and falls asleep, leaving Artemis to ponder what just happened..

'Minako is not trying to be perverted here... she just wants to be loved, that's all' After reaching that conclusion, Artemis rests his head on top of her heart and curls the rest of his body below her chest. It doesn't take long for him to get comfortable, given that the sweater she's wearing proves suprisingly soft and warm. Soon, the white cat falls asleep to the gentle rhythm of her heart and dreams of a better future for them both.

As the ten o'clock hour approaches, Yuuchiro prepares for bed, having completed his daily tasks around the temple, which don't take a break despite the Christmas holiday. He heads over to Rei's bedroom and gently knocks on the door.

"Come in" the familiar voice inside calls out, beckoning him inside.

Yuuchiro opens the door and steps inside the room, closing the door behind him before looking at Rei, who's currently seated in a bean bag chair and reading a book.

"All done for the night?" she asks softly.

"Umm, yeah..." the blushing rocker says as he notes what she's wearing. "Nice umm... nightwear..."

Yuuchiro turns away for a moment to hide his red face while a wide grin forms on Rei's face.

"There's no reason to be embarassed, not after what we've done..."

"I guess you're right..." he admits before turning back around. "I guess if I came in here by accident before and saw you like this, you'd have a different reaction"

Rei chuckles. "A year ago I'd have bashed you as a pervert... yeah... but now, you're my life partner. I've had this for a while and I wanted you to see it... since we're on an intimate level" the now blusing Rei softly admits, making an effort to keep her voice down due to the late hour.

Yuuchiro dares to stare at her outfit some more. "Oh, well... I do umm... like it"

"Thanks..."

Rei closes her book and places it on the side of the chair and stands up, walking over to her boyfriend. "I think it fits my personality quite well"

The rocker gets a little flirty with his response. "Yes... it's red with that umm... cutout in your stomach area that looks like an outline of flames- you're in great shape, Rei"

"I thought this was some kind of swimsuit at first glance, like someone took a one piece and cut it up a little... but it is fiery and sexy so I bought it"

"I see..." Yuuchiro admits softly before pulling Rei into a hug. "Thanks for letting me see it"

"You're welcome" Rei says before resting her head on his chest. "Hold me for a while, please"

Yuuchiro does just that, gently caressing her hair as they move back and forth slowly in place, enjoying the warmth of each other's bodies and the feeling of being close.

"I really didn't need any Christmas present, not after what happened between us a few days ago..." Rei says while rubbing his back. "You're all I need"

"Same here... to be with you forever, wow- how could anything else compare? I get to see this side of you all the time now... and I like it" is his warm reply.

"So I'm not a total hard ass after all, huh?"

The rocker chuckles. "Nope"

"There's one more thing we can share tonight..." Rei stops and begins tugging at his temple tunic. "Stay with me tonight, please"

Normally, Yuuchiro wouldn't object to this idea but the thought of being spied on by Grandpa Hino... or his comments the next day, make him think twice about the idea.

"What about..."

Rei interrupts that question as she takes off his top. "Just snuggle with me, if we keep it quiet, there'll be no problems. We can get a little frisky if you want- I'll leave that to you, my handsome rocker. I know we've only been together in the same bed once and never here at home but..."

After thinking about it again for a few moments, Yuuchiro decides to take the risk. "Okay, I'll stay..." He flips the light switch and marvels at the moonlight that illuminates the room, landing on Rei's bed.

The Senshi of Fire notices it as well. "Hmm... maybe that's a good sign?"

"Maybe..." is his reply back before taking Rei's hand and slowly walking over to the bed. Rei moves the pillows around a little and pulls back the blanket, allowing both lovers to crawl in and get comfortable. It's Rei who makes the first move, gently kissing her partner on the cheek for going along with idea.

"Thanks for staying with me, this is a night for couples so I was hoping you might stay"

After hearing this, another reason behind her request, Yuuchiro suddenly loses all nervousness- he knows what her true intentions are. "It's no problem"

Rei goes in for another kiss. "Merry Christmas, Yuuchiro"

The rocker returns her kiss with one of his own. "Merry Christmas, Rei"

Turning on her side, Rei nods up at the ceiling where she had placed a sprig of mistletoe earlier in the evening. Yuuchiro turns his head and smiles.

"You must be a little cold in that outfit, Rei"

"A little" she replies, a hint of shyness in her voice.

"Do you want me to..." Yuuchiro pauses to moves his hands onto her behind and begins gently squeezing it. "Warm you up a little?"

"Just a little, my naughty boy" is her reply, though her body does want and crave more. "We can start a small fire of passion between us"

"Deal"

The Senshi of Fire lets her hands wander over his chest as she kisses her boyfriend, the newest member of the Sailor Senshi and wonders what life will be like with him now that things have changed, at least for them, for the better. It isn't long before Yuuchiro's hands are drawn up to Rei's bosom, which is massaged and soon exposed as the natural desires inside of Yuuchiro run a little wild. Rei feels her outfit gently being pulled down to her waist and silently blushes as he continues to make out with her. She tries not to moan too loudly as he kisses her neck and his hands continue their work on her chest.

"I said a little fire..." Rei playfully chides as she rests her now bare chest against his. "Keep it up and we might have a large bonfire"

"I'm not taking it off, so don't worry... I just want to feel you, body to body tonight. Heart to heart... and now we can snuggle and go to sleep"

"Okay... good night Yuuchiro"

"Good night, Rei... I love you"

"Love you too"

The two passionate lovers get comfortable and soon fall asleep under the bright glow of the moon. Even at this late hour, however, another Senshi is up and talking with her boyfriend privately in her bedroom.

"That's great, Ami- I'm glad you had a good Christmas with your mother. My folks are doing just fine here as well"

"I'm glad to hear that" Ami says, relaxing on her bed and trying to mantain a comfortable position while holding her communicator.

"I've got a question for you, before we go on..." Urawa asks, curious about something.

"What's that?"

"Why is your camera off? Normally we talk with the web cam function active"

Ami blushes and is silent, leaving Urawa to wonder what the reason is. Urawa tries some deductive reasoning to try and find out.

"Is there a problem with your communicator?"

"No" is the soft reply.

"Oh..."

Urawa pauses and tries another guess, a long shot... but a possibility, especially given what happened between him and Ami recently. He tries another question.

"What are you wearing, Ami?"

That question complete throws off the Senshi of Water. She turns her head in embarassment as a reflex action and closes her eyes. 'Can I answer him? Should I answer him? What to do?'

Completely caught off guard by this question, Ami commits a faux pas and says the word "nothing" by accident.

Urawa's eyes go wide open, not believing what he just heard. "Nothing? Wow..."

In his mind he dares to imagine what Ami looked like if he mentally removed her clothes further then their best makeout sessions and a red blush forms on his face as he pictures his girlfriend totally naked.

The silence over the communicator is like a jolt to Ami, bringing her back into focus. "What did I just say? Oh my gosh, I have to tell him something!'

Ami clears her throat. "Ahem... I'm not naked"

Urawa also takes a deep breath. "Whew... okay, that didn't seem like you, anyway. I know you have several different types of pajamas..."

"Yes... I am wearing something... comfortable to bed" is about all Ami will volunteer at this point. Urawa, however, doesn't give up.

"I see... stuff that quiet ones wear"

After hearing the reference to Hotaru's recent comment, Ami sighs aloud. "Yes... we do like to be... sexy in private"

"Ami..." Urawa decides to not embarass his girlfriend further. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that"

"No, it's okay- it's my fault for not being honest in the first place. You and I are very close and after what we've done so far... and what I'd like to..." Ami's voice fails her and she nervously taps her free hand on the bed. "Like to do with you- this shouldn't be an issue"

"I'm just as nervous as you" Urawa admits. "When you took off my shirt, I knew you wanted and needed more then just a kiss and a hug from me. I had been wondering what kind of umm... stuff you'd wear underneath and umm... I did like what I saw after taking off your shirt"

Ami does her best to accept the compliment and push out the feelings of nervousness and excitement that result from it. "Urawa... thank you"

In order to lighten things up for a moment, Urawa decides to throw in some relevant humor. "I knew it'd be blue, too"

A smile forms on Ami's face. "Yes, that is my favorite color. That was a logical guess... and I'm wearing blue right now"

Nervous but excited, Urawa dares to ask another question. "Can I see?"

Knowing that her nervousness will have to be overcome, especially if she wants to get REALLY intimate with her boyfriend and "bond" with him, Ami closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before saying "Yes" and activating the camera.

At first, all Urawa can see is the nervous smile on Ami's face, along with her crimson red cheeks. "You're gorgeous"

"T-thanks... but I know you wanted to see more then just my... smile"

"Yeah... but to be fair, hold that thought for a second" Urawa places his communicator on the bed and then takes off his shirt, making Ami blush for a different reason.

"Handsome, very handsome" she says as she stares at his well defined chest.

"You need fanservice, too" the nervously grinning Urawa says before tapping a button on the communicator.

"Yes... and thank you for being fair with me. Give me a second..." Ami gently tilts the view down, giving him a view of her down to shoulder level.

"Hmm... that's a good start..."

Ami says nothing but tilts it more as she shows off her lounge wear, eventually showing herself from head to toe. She turns it back to faceview and dares to ask what he thought of it... even though she knows what he's probably going to say.

"I love that you're a quiet one, Ami"

"Me too" the Senshi of Water says softly. "No one has seen this besides you, not even my friends"

"Wow, I'm so lucky then" is his cautiously excited reply.

"You are... and so am I. I need some more then just book smarts can provide and well... you fit the bill. Please tell me what you think of this outfit"

Urawa closes his eyes and remembers what he just saw. A babydoll type top going not much her further then her chest, leaving her stomach wide open to view. A V-cut extends from top to near the bottom, allowing a generous view of Ami's cleavage. 3 little hearts are cut out of the left and right side of the side fabric and light purple lace lines the bottom of this blue garment. A very fancy blue thong, also lined with lace and with a heart pattern on it, covers the lower half of her body.

"In one word- sexy. In two words- very sexy. It does look comfortable and the colors are very much you, I like the design and the way the design shows off your lower and umm... upper body. Definitely more Ami then three years ago..."

"You are a..." Ami decides to not to say pervert but turns this into a positive thing. "Wonderful guy. I am very self conscious about that"

"Oh..." Urawa says, hoping he didn't accidentally touch on a sensitive subject with Ami.

"Many times us Inners would be drawn into an arguement about who had the most "talent"... of course, Makoto always won that contest" Ami softly admits. "Still, all of us have made gains as we've neared adulthood- and I see you've noticed"

"When I hug you, I can tell. I've been hugging you for three years, I don't need to take off any clothes to notice- we really haven't gone swimming together so up until recently, I could only guess how really... quiet you were"

Ami rolls her eyes, knowing that this "quiet one" comment will not be going away anytime soon.

"Yes, on matters like this, I am very quiet. I appreciate that you like my body so much, especially the upper half"

"Busty enough for me, no complaints- so don't worry about those contests anymore, okay?" Urawa says firmly.

"I won't... unless it's a contest about who has the handsomest man- then I will enter you" Ami says with a giggle, finally breaking her serious mood.

"Deal"

Urawa yawns aloud and so does Ami, both look at the clock and see the time.

The young man makes note of the time verbally. "Wow, 11 P.M. already... time flies when I talk with you"

"It does- and it gives me time to get away from being "Brainy Ami" and "Miss Study". You bring out my emotional side more then anyone else, while keeping a dash of the logical in for good measure"

"I'd only talk like this with you" Urawa shyly admits. "Good night, Ami"

"Good night, Urawa"

The two lovers stare at each other longingly and then turn off their communicators. Urawa lies down in the bed and tries to calm himself, his heart is racing due to all of the stress, emotions, and hormones running through his body. As he begins to fall asleep, only one thought is on his mind.

'What a woman... I'm so lucky...'

On her end, Ami looks at herself in the mirror and realizes something. 'That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and he had good things to say. I promise to be more confident with myself and with him from now on. I can't save him or myself if I'm scared to show my body to him!'

Ami takes off her glasses and places them on her nightstand before turning off her light. She hopes and dreams that she can get the courage to make that leap with him... and that he will have the same as well, before it's too late.

Very few Senshi remain awake as the 11 o'clock hour begins, but at Setsuna's apartment, her, Pink Usagi, and Helios are watching a late night Christmas movie.

"We don't have movies like this in the future... they must've gotten lost with the passage of time" Usagi notes as the movie nears the end.

"Oh? That's too bad" Setsuna says softly. "I like being in this time period"

"Me too!" the pink haired woman replies before looking at her boyfriend. "How about you, Helios?"

"I like it too" he readily admits. "Despite what's going on, it's still a time that I like"

"At least this Christmas I'm not alone..." Setsuna mutters softly.

Usagi smiles. "No, you're not, Puu. I'm here to make sure NO ONE ends up alone or something is still bound to happen"

Setsuna sighs aloud. "I suppose you're right. Just because I hadn't thought about certain things... doesn't mean that I don't need them"

"Or can't live without them!" the cheerful Usagi adds, wanting to increase her friends spirits.

Helios yawns and tries his best to stay awake but begins nodding off. Both Setsuna and Usagi look down at the sleeping Helios and then exchange glances.

"I'll turn off the T.V., you cover him up" is Setsuna's suggestion, which is taken by Usagi as she does just that before excusing herself for bed. The green haired Senshi drops right into bed, not even bothering to change and only managing to take off her shirt and pants before giving into sleep.

Pink Usagi only manages to change out of her top and bottom before noticing the large amount of moonlight coming through the window in her bedroom. Feeling the need to think, she stops undressing and, wearing just her red bra and panties, sits on her bed and gazes outside at the crisp, cool night and the moon.

'Will things get better? I hope so... I don't want this mission to fail... it can't. I love my friends too much and there must be a way to help them all, not just one or two...'

Unbeknownst to her, her mother, blonde Usagi is doing the same thing on her own bed, wearing a white babydoll that she wishes Mamoru could see but can't. 'It's a couples night... but at least we had a little time together. I miss you, Mamo-chan... and I need you. I need the others to feel the love we feel... or peaceful times aren't going to last'

After a while, the two Usagi's fall asleep, leaving only one couple up.

"Are you sure she's asleep?" Michiru asks quietly as she tip-toes out of the front room towards her bedroom.

"Yes" Haruka softly replies. "Let's make a break for it"

The pair quietly head into their bedroom and close the door. Michiru shyly backs away and sits on the far side of the bed.

"Ready for your Christmas present?" the grinning Haruka asks.

"Yes..." Michiru replies shyly as her lover steps forward. As soon as she's within range, however, the aqua haired Senshi decides to pull a surprise of her own and tugs at her partners robe, letting it fall to the floor and leaving Haruka in just her yellow and white bra and panties.

"Much better" Michiru coos, expressing the need to be more of the aggressor tonight. Nodding her head, Haruka acknowledges that but at the same time removes Michiru's robe, smiling as she sees what's underneath.

"Love those pajamas..." the blonde says, noting the aqua blue boyshorts and satin top, also in aqua with a deep V cut. It's very obvious by the view that Michiru had this in mind when she changed earlier. Both lovers get on the bed and look at each other.

"Promise me you won't go anywhere... or leave me" Michiru says softly, not wanting the future they saw to come to fruition.

"I promise I won't" Haruka says as she extends her hand to touch her girlfriends' cheek. "Let's not think about that right now... it's still Christmas for the next 20 minutes... so let's make the most of it"

"Deal" the blushing Michiru says as she goes in for a kiss. It isn't long before both lose track of time and at least for the moment, forget about their troubles and focus on the pleasures of here and now...

At this point, the whole city of Tokyo is asleep, except for a few. One of the few still up is a scientist, who's been tinkering with some salvaged T.V. sets for a few years. He's constantly puzzled by the sight of a woman on the screen every time he turns them on and does his best to change the channel or the video mode- but she appears everytime. Sometimes angry, sometimes sad.

"These T.V.'s were free but I've almost given up hope on them. Maybe something in Mugen school cursed these sets, who knows?"

Sleepily, the scientist tries plugging in a connection cord from the sets into an audio amp. After doing so, he falls asleep, not hearing the voice that's calling out to him. Louder and louder it grows until it finally rouses him from his brief nap.

"What the hell? This can't be!"

In a moment of panic and fear, he pulls the plug out and sticks it into a power outlet, sending a large wave of voltage backfeeding into the sets and knocking him unconscious. The sets begin to glow and then all of them explode, sending a shock wave through the building and the neighborhood...

Fires break out and soon the building is burnt down... leaving only one survivor, a strange woman with glasses who stumbles out into the night, free for the first time in three years.

End chapter 9A. 


	15. Chapter 15: Snow Break Part B

Begin Chapter 9B

December 26th

Bright and early the next morning, Usagi gets a visitor... which awakens her just a little bit too early for her tastes...

"Hotaru? You're early..." the yawning blonde says as she opens the door.

"I came early because you wanted to see my new pajamas, remember? You also wanted to leave at 9 A.M., so I can play your brother and model for you at the same time"

"I see... well, come on in..." Usagi closes the door behind Hotaru and motions towards her bedroom. "Why don't you change in there and I'll get everything set up down here..."

"Okay"

Knowing what game her brother wants to play, Usagi gets the game system set up downstairs and quickly gulps down a large bowl of miso soup and some rice before returning to her room. She opens the door and finds Hotaru sitting on the bed, wearing a very fancy looking black and purple pajama set.

"What do you think?" Hotaru asks with a smile. "Nice, huh?"

"WOW..." Usagi exclaims as steps forward and takes a closer look. "Very nice... and this is what my daughter and Setsuna got?"

"In their own colors but yes... I love it!"

Usagi reaches out and touches one of the sleeves and confirms that the material is silk, as she had heard before. "I can't wait to get one of these for myself... I know Mamo-chan will love it!"

"I'm sure he will..." the nodding Hotaru says while glancing at one of Usagi's clocks in the room. "Is your brother awake yet?"

"Hmm... not yet..." the blonde pauses to yawn. "I'm going to go eat some more breakfast... you can go wake him up so we can leave on time"

Hotaru suddenly becomes shy. "Are you sure about that? Will he get angry?"

Shaking her head, Usgai replies with a grin. "Not if you're the one who's knocking... or telling him to wake up. If it was me, well... that'd be starting trouble"

Hotaru takes a deep breath and then, determined to play a quality opponent again and not to appear too shy, gets up and walks into the hallway. She looks back and sees Usagi pointing at a room, indicating which one she should go to.

'Here goes nothing...'

A gentle knocking noise is heard as Hotaru knocks on the door, she then speaks, trying not to be too loud at this hour of the morning.

"Umm, excuse me... Shingo... are you up?"

No reply from inside prompts her to repeat the process again... and this time she hears an answer.

"Huh? Oh... hold on... I'll be right there..." the voice says before a loud yawn is heard, causing Hotaru to giggle.

'Those two even yawn alike...'

A few moments later Shingo opens the door and finds Hotaru standing in the hallway, patiently waiting for him. He notices her pajamas and cannot help but blush a little.

'Wow, she's cute...'

"I'm glad it's you... if it had been Usagi, then I know she'd be up to no good..."

From downstairs, the other Tsukino sibling replies back. "I heard that!"

"Anyways... let's get down to business. I know you two have a shopping trip to go on this morning"

"Yeah... your sister is going to get one of these for herself... and our other friends, too" Hotaru says as she walks downstairs with Shingo.

"Oh... so she wasn't making up a story... I thought since she was broke that she couldn't buy anything at the moment..."

Hotaru shakes her head. "A friend of our has some extra money... well, lots of it..."

"Maybe too much..." Usagi comments from the kitchen. "Still, I don't turn down free!"

Shingo has a reply for that comment. "Yeah, especially when it comes to food!"

Hotaru tries not to laugh as she sits down on the couch and grabs one of the game controllers. Usagi, her mouth full of food, resists the temptation to reply to that and instead begins thinking of a comeback to spring on him when he's playing against Hotaru.

"Ready for another round against me?" the suddenly bold Shingo asks before sitting down on the couch next to his opponent.

"Yes... but let's make this more interesting... maybe random cars and random tracks?"

"Okay..." is the somewhat reluctant reply from Shingo, not liking being able to pick his favorite car. 'She's smart... let's see if that works more for her or for me...'

The two competitors get down to business, starting their first race in a hurry. The random aspect of the battle throws them both off... but each and every game over the next hour is close, sometimes Shingo would win, sometimes Hotaru. The Senshi of Saturn is relieved that she's had experience with each and every car in this game... but can see that she's got some weakness when it comes to certain vehicles. Usagi watches the 2nd half of the battle hour and is impressed by her brother's determination against a more experienced opponent.

"Almost nine A.M." Usagi says, noting the time. "Who won the hour?"

"Hotaru by 2 games..." Shingo said with a sigh. "This time, I did a lot better!"

"That you did... I'm impressed, Shingo... my idea kinda backfired on me..." Hotaru admits.

"Well, that ice track can get anyone... but especially Usagi... she loses three places every lap if she misses that last turn..."

The blonde doesn't appreciate being reminded of that everytime "Of course it does, it's a hard track! Why do you keep on bringing that up!"

Shingo turns around and looks back at his sister. "So you can practice and get better... isn't your other blonde friend a big racing game fan?"

"Minako? Yeah, she loves to race... and of course, there's also Haruka... she's dangerous on the track... and one of the main reasons why Hotaru's so good"

After glancing at Hotaru, Shingo looks back at his sister. "I guess I'll see you guys later... have fun shopping..."

"See you later, Shingo. I enjoyed racing you" Hotaru says happily before standing up. "I'll be back in a second, Usagi... I've got to change before we go"

"Of course..." the blonde replies as her friend heads upstairs, leaving the two Tsukino siblings alone for a few minutes.

"You should take some time to practice while we're gone..." Usagi says slyly while nudging her brother with her elbow.

"Of course... and you should do the same when you get back... you're no pro yourself..." Shingo says with a grin.

"Why you..."

Usagi is about to comment again when she hears Hotaru coming down the stairs behind her. She restrains herself and turns her attention to the shopping trip instead.

"I'll get you later..." Usagi mumbles under breath.

Not hearing what his sister said, Shingo says "Have fun" before turning his attention back to the game. Hotaru and Usagi get their shoes and coats on and prepare to leave. Before the pair head out into the snow, however, Hotaru takes another glance into the front room and notices the determined Shingo already in the midst of another race.

'He's not a quitter, that's for sure!'

While this pair of Senshi head on out to the store to meet with the others, another one is just waking up...

Rei, after rubbing her eyes, blinks rapidly and then softly sighs. 'Last night was great... and it wasn't a dream. This was our first night together since we... bonded...'

Gently, Rei rubs her hand on Yuuchiro's chest, savoring the quiet moment with her lover. He rustles a little but stays asleep... at least, until he hears Rei's voice...

"WHAT? It can't be..." Rei says, almost screaming aloud.

"Huh? What's wrong Rei?" the groggy Yuuchiro asks.

"I thought I set my alarm... it's already 9 A.M.!" the panicked Senshi says, remembering what today's main activity was.

"Oh... your shopping trip..." Yuuchiro says, remembering this topic from yesterday.

"Yeah- and I don't want to be late!" the Senshi Fire says with much urgency.

With much flourish, Rei flips the covers off of the bed and jumps out of bed... tumbling to the floor in the process. "DAMN it!" she moans as she turns back to look at the bed, noticing Yuuchiro's hand and her outfit in it...

'I jumped out of bed... and out of my clothes! Can today get off to a worse start then this?'

The blushing Yuuchiro tries not to stare at the now naked Rei... but notices her lingerie in his hand and prepares for the worst.

"Rei, I didn't..."

"Do that on purpose? I know you didn't... I forgot your hand was on my ass..." Rei slowly gets on her feet, covering her breasts as she does so. With her back to her boyfriend, Rei continues to speak. "I don't know when I'll be back... but thanks for staying with me last night.

"Okay... and Rei..."

"Yeah?" is the impatient reply back.

Being denied view of her front side, Yuuchiro makes due with the backside. "Nice umm... view..."

"Pervert!" Rei turns her head and sticks her tongue at him before her expression softens. "But you're my pervert..."

"Always..."

After taking a deep breath, the raven-haired girl sets another plan in motion. "Can you close your eyes? I want to put on something for tonight and if you see it now, you won't be surprised"

Liking what he heard, Yuuchiro lies back in bed and closes his eyes. "Sure thing, Rei... go ahead... I like surprises like that"

One glance at Yuuchiro confirms he's obeying the rules and Rei gets to work, quickly getting dressed in order not to be late for the shopping trip. A few minutes later, Yuuchiro feels a gentle kiss on his cheek. He opens his eyes and sees Rei all dressed up in her winter gear including a hat.

"See you later then?"

"Of course... be sure to quietly sneak out of the room after you get dressed, handsome" Rei says softly before opening the door to her room. She waves at her boyfriend and then quietly heads towards the front entrance and out into the soft snow...

As the Senshi converge on the "target", one pair cannot help but talk about gaming along the way. Usagi comes up with a different plan for Hotaru and Shingo, given the friendly rivalry that seems to be developing between them. To get Shingo out of the house and to socialize more, the blonde suggests going to the arcade and randomly picking some games to play, to "mix things up". Hotaru, liking the idea, gladly agrees to go along with the plan... which inwardly causes Usagi to smirk.

'I wonder... if there's something more between these two then just the gaming thing. I guess we'll see what happens next...'

Around 9:45 A.M., the group assemble at the entrance to the store where Pink Usagi is waiting for her friends to arrive.

"Come on guys, we've got the whole store to ourselves if we're done by 11 A.M.!" she exclaims excitedly.

"Sounds good to me- how'd you manage that?" the curious Minako asks.

"Guaranteed sale of one set for each of you that doesn't have one... money talks after all!" is the jovial reply as Pink Usagi holds the door open, allowing the others to enter. The pair of sales staff greets the group and then the Senshi are guided to the back where the different colors and styles of pajamas are on display...

15 minutes later, the Senshi are about to split up into groups so as not to overcrowd the dressing rooms as they try on their choices. Usagi notices Ami hard at work typing on her mini computer and sighs aloud.

"It's not time for studying, Ami... it's time for shopping!"

"I'm not studying... I had an idea and I'm exploring it now- it has to do with our future..."

That comment makes Usagi go silent. "Oh..."

A smirk briefly forms on Ami's face as well as a slight blush. "I'm predicting who might be the next one to... bond"

Several murmurs are heard as the other Senshi pick up on what she said. From one of the changing rooms, Mars responds to that comment. "Really, Ami, we had no idea you were so interested in those things... you must be getting pretty close to Urawa these days"

Wisely, Ami says nothing but cannot help but blush. She chooses her reply carefully. "Obviously you are excluded from these calculations... I'm more worried about the rest of us and our partners... or lack thereof"

Despite getting told off in a sense by Ami, Rei says nothing for a moment and then decides to encourage what she's doing. "Let us know when you've got some results then"

"I am... curious as well..." Hotaru says softly, causing Michiru and Haruka to look at their friend and go into "parent" mode.

"You shouldn't worry about things like that right now..." Haruka says, not wanting to corrupt Hotaru's mind anymore then her pink friend is already doing.

"I've got a bad future just like anyone else, there must be someone for me, too" Hotaru replies sadly as she begins undressing in order to try on another pair of pajamas, a gift from Pink Usagi to cheer up her friend and lift her spirits.

Michiru places a hand on Haruka's shoulder and nods, indicating that Hotaru does have a point and to let the subject be dropped for now.

From one of the four dressing rooms, Pink Usagi calls out. "Come on, it's time for pajamas... Ami... let's see what you picked out and then we'll see if your pick is good enough to... affect your calculations"

Resigning herself to her fate, Ami slips the computer into her pocket for the moment and takes her pick into the dressing room... and secretly hopes that her pink friend is right. Everyone else that's not in a changing room follows suit and soon there's a lot of small talk filling the store as the group tries on their pajamas and shows them off the others in their room. No one has emerged back into the main store area, causing the sales staff to wonder about these girls...

"I hope they'll be done before we have to open, it's already 10:15..." the brunette says to her blonde associate.

"Hmm... I think they'll be fine, should be pretty quick once they get the opinion of their other friends" is the reply back as the blonde patiently wait at the cash register. Her friend tidies up the shop, keeping an eye on the time and on the others.

Five minutes later, the Senshi are about to emerge and show off their new pajamas to the others when Makoto gasps loudly. "Are you serious?" she asks Ami, who tries in vain to tell her friend to keep it down.

"What's going on over there?" Minako asks with concern and curiosity.

"Nothing" Ami quickly answers.

"Hmm... nothing wouldn't have Makoto gasping like that. Did you... finish your calculations?" the blonde asks, following her gut instincts.

Shyly, Ami confesses and gives her an answer. "Yes"

"Okay... enough of the mystery... who is it?" Setsuna asks, secretly wondering if maybe she could be the one... and that some light would be shed on this mystery person she's been dreaming about lately, the one that might be her salvation.

After taking a deep breath, Ami clears her throat and makes an announcement. "Is everyone ready?"

"Come on Ami, enough with the suspense already" Haruka says impatiently.

Pink Usagi also wants to know and says "Spill Ami" before placing a mental bet on what her friend will say. 'I bet it's her, that's why she won't say anything'

"My calculations point to Usagi being the next one to... bond. Given her future role as queen... and the outfits that she's been wearing lately, I would agree..."

"WHAT?" the very embarrassed blonde Usagi calls out. "Are you calling me loose or something?"

"Come on, mom... we all know how you've been acting and dressing for dad lately" Pink Usagi adds, putting more fuel on the fire.

Ami opens the door and heads out into the main store, Jupiter and Mars follow right behind her. "Better check those calculations again, Ami" Rei suggests, in case there was some kind of error.

"Yeah, you better!" Usagi calls out, ready to spring into action.

"After rechecking the facts... and the events since Pink Usagi's arrival, all signs point to you and Mamoru..." Ami looks in the direction of the 2nd changing room and is shocked to suddenly see the door fly open, revealing a huffing and puffing blonde Usagi, wearing only a bra and panties... and very sexy ones at that.

"AMI!"

Makoto grins as she looks at what her blonde friend is wearing. "Must be true then..."

Usagi runs up to her friend and prepares to confront her when Rei points out something quite obvious.

"Nice lingerie, Usagi... I think you've just proved Ami right!"

Usagi looks down and realizes she ran out into the store without her pajamas on, showing off to her friends the very sexy lingerie that only Mamoru has seen. A large blush forms on her face and she points a finger at Rei.

"You're one to talk with your pajamas unbuttoned like that... we can see that I'm not the only one who's..."

Usagi quickly places her hands over her mouth... but it's too late. Several gasps are heard as the other Senshi come out of the dressing rooms and crowd around the very embarassed and exposed Usagi.

In her defense, Rei throws down her shirt and points at her luxurious black lace bra. "That's right, I'm trying to seduce my man, okay? I'm not trying to hide that fact that we've... we've... bonded"

Pink Usagi offers a critique of what her raven haired friend is wearing. "Looks like you two will definitely be bonding tonight- I love that plunge effect, Rei- it's very sexy"

The now blushing Rei nods her head and softly says "Thanks", still not entirely used to a grown up Chibi Usa acting in this manner and making naughty comments like that.

"You should get dressed, Moon face" Haruka says, pointing towards the front of the store. "You're putting on quite a show, especially jumping around like that"

Michiru shoots a glance at her partner who winks back, indicating it was just a joke... and that her own bouncing is all she needs to get excited.

The brunette sales attendant in the front of the store calls out to the group of girls after seeing Haruka's pose. "Don't worry, no one can see inside... and if I may agree with Ami in your group- that is something a woman wears for more then just comfort. I hope that wasn't out of place for me to say that"

"No problem, always good to get an outside opinion..." Pink Usagi says before turning her attention to her mother. She lowers her voice and makes a small joke.

"See? I get this naughtiness from you, mom..."

"Ha, ha... I know I wouldn't have let you see stuff like this in the future..." the mother replies to her daughter. She makes an announcement to the others, albeit softly. "Fine, fine... Ami's right... Christmas time is the time for couples, right? Mamo-chan and I... bonded"

"True..." Setsuna acknowledges, inwardly sad that it wasn't her... and no information on her situation has been mentioned for some time.

Rei picks up her shirt and begins buttoning it up. "So, Ami... that computer did pretty good. We got Usagi here to confess to it, too... any chance you can see who's next?"

Minako and Makoto look hopefully at Ami, hoping their next... as long as it isn't the Senshi of Lust that ends up with either of them.

"I can try to calculate that, but first I would like to see what Usagi chose for pajamas. Everyone else came out here with their selections but her..."

Seeing a chance to catch her breath and compose herself, Usagi takes it. "Thanks, Ami... I'll be right back"

Usagi rushes back into the dressing room and closes the door. She takes a few deep breaths and tries to calm down. 'I guess they would've found out soon enough... and they're my friends, I should've told them sooner. The reaction wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be...'

The blonde Senshi looks in the mirror at herself and smiles, doing a few poses in front of the mirror and admiring her figure. 'Looking good... and no one complained about not being with me when I picked this out. White lace and plunge equal instant seduction of my handsome Mamo-chan'

A minute later Usagi steps out and is met with "thumbs up" from each of her friends on her choice of pajamas. Hotaru begins to giggle after Pink Usagi whispers in her ear.

"What's so funny?" the blonde Usagi asks crossly.

"Your daughter says that the pink and white pajamas you're wearing look like a candy cane" Hotaru says while trying not to laugh.

"But pink and white are my colors..." is the soft protest back to that comment.

Wanting to calm the situation down, Makoto walks over and pats her friend on the shoulder. "It looks great, Usagi... I think everyone here went with their favorite colors, like pink and green for me"

Usagi feels a lot better and appreciates the support. "Thanks Makoto"

"Anytime"

Pink Usagi looks at the store clock and sighs aloud. "I hate to be the party pooper but it's getting late and I don't want to hold these ladies up any longer. Why don't we check out and meet up tomorrow at my place"

Setsuna clears her throat. "Ahem"

"Oops, I mean Setsuna's apartment"

The group changes back into their street clothes and bring their purchases up front, each one thanking Pink Usagi in turn for spending all this money on them. Hotaru is especially grateful for a second set, with a black space design with a giant Saturn in the center. 'Can't go wrong with her namesake planet' Pink Usagi muses as that set is rung up. 'I hope Hotaru will make some more friends soon... boy friends...'

While waiting in like for her pajamas to be rung up, Ami types away on her mini computer and is shocked, to say the least, about the result that displays itself. When Minako tries to peek over her shoulder, Ami taps a key and minimizes what's on the screen.

"Soo... who's next?" the blonde croons, drawing the attention of the others who look at Ami intently.

"I need to input more data... no idea yet..." Ami says, not wanting to reveal what the computer really said. 'It said me! Will I really be able to be bold enough with Urawa before that accident? Or will I lose him? I think he's ready for anything...'

"Oh okay..." the disappointed blonde says before returning to her conversation with Makoto. Ami sighs and makes a decision to double check her figures again when she gets home... to confirm the results.

Once blonde Usagi's purchase is rung up, she hugs her daughter and says "Thanks", happy to get something new despite her current "broke" situation.

"No problem! Anything to help out... and of course, I want to make sure I exist, right?" Pink Usagi replies with a grin.

"Umm... yeah..." Usagi says back, not wanting to talk more about this subject in front of the others. To change the subject, Usagi decides to tease her daughter a little bit.

"I guess you grew out of that brat phase... and you're not annoying anymore, either"

Pink Usagi rolls her eyes, just like her mom would and shrugs her shoulders. "Thanks... but the only I thing I grew out of was my clothes" A wink at the end of the statement and hand on her heart indicates that she's talking about her figure, making it the blonde Usagi's turn to roll her eyes.

"Sometimes you're TOO much like me..."

"Maybe..."

More words would've been exchanged between mother and daughter but the blonde sales assistant waves in order to get Pink Usagi's attention. The young woman opens her purse and pulls out a wad of 10000 yen bills in order to pay for all of the clothes. Makoto whistles after seeing the amount of money change hands... and Haruka cannot help but make a joke at seeing this.

"Really, Usagi- what bank did you rob on your way in?"

"Not funny Haruka..." is the younger Usagi's reply. "My friends are all I care about... that's why I sharing what I have"

"And we appreciate it" Michiru adds.

"Thanks so much!" Hotaru says before giving her friend a hug.

"No problem- it's the least I can do. I'll see all of you tomorrow around noon... I've got to pick up something and then meet up with Helios for dinner"

"Sounds like a plan- we'll see you tomorrow! Thanks again!" the cheerful Minako says before tapping Makoto on the shoulder. "Can you walk home with me?"

"Of course" the brunette says, wondering what's on her friend's mind.

Pink Usagi, Makoto, and Minako leave the group first and then Michiru and Haruka want to leave to go for a nice walk in the park. They ask Hotaru to join them but are interrupted by Usagi.

"Actually, I want to borrow Hotaru for a while... if that's okay"

"Hmm... should we?" Michiru says with mock concern to her partner.

"I don't know- Usagi could be up to something"

Usagi doesn't like the sound of that one bit. "HEY!"

Hotaru giggles. "No, it's not like that... she just wants me to spend sometime her brother... she thinks he's being anti-social during the winter break. A trip to the arcade did sound like fun"

"Just don't win too much..." Michiru says with a wink.

"And don't be out too late" Haruka adds.

"No problem, I'll see you two later"

Seeing another chance to spend some time alone, Michiru and Haruka take it, entrusting Usagi with Hotaru.

Heading off in a separate direction, Usagi and Hotaru head back to the Tsukino house and "convince" Shingo to get out of the house and into the beautiful snow covered city. Setsuna decides to stop for some lunch before heading back to her apartment in order to warm up and contemplate what's happening- the timeline changes seem to be accelerating... but many of her friends are still in danger- and as with anything else in life, nothing is guaranteed or set in stone.

Rei, having been caught off guard a little in the shop and by Pink Usagi, walks the long way home carrying her bag and thinking about her new relationship with Yuuchiro... and what kind of future she can make with him.

Ami heads home, on the way, checking and double checking her calculations. A red tingle forms on her face as the computer once again predicts she's the next one to move to the next level with her significant other. 'Maybe it's true- we've been going out for a long time and the other four are not currently involved with anyone... I guess I should prepare for the moment then...'

Closing her computer, Ami notices that right in front of her, on the right, is a lingerie shop. After closing her eyes and steeling herself, she makes a promise to herself about New Years. 'I'm going to start the new year off right- with my soul mate- he's not going to die and we'll be together forever. No depressed future, no artificial lover... I want a real man, my man... and I want to have something special for that night'

Looking around, Ami makes sure none of her friends are in sight and heads inside to get something "special" for New Years. A few blocks away, Makoto and Minako talk about a very serious subject with each other for the first time.

"I can't believe we did that... but I guess it shows that none of us are invincible- we all have weaknesses..." Makoto says, refering to the future and her involvment with Venus's future husband.

"Yeah, I can't imagine hurting any of my friends, especially a fellow Senshi... but we did. We united at the end..." Minako's voice drops off. "In order to kill people... and then we both were killed. Not the way I pictured the future"

"Yeah" the now depressed brunette replies, wanting to talk about something else... but knowing this subject had to be broached with her friend.

Minako continues talking in a serious tone, further bringing home the point she's bringing across. "Promise me you'll stop me... if you see me even LOOKING at this guy, okay?"

"I promise- and you do the same. It'd be just as bad if I married him and you umm... cheated with him- he'd still kill Artemis and anyone else that got in his way"

"As long as he doesn't look like an old boyfriend of yours, we'll be fine" the blonde Senshi says with a giggle, poking fun at her friends' weakness. Makoto is not amused.

"HEY!"

"Just kidding"

To make up for her joke and to keep the conversation going, Minako offers up something that she knows her brunette friend will not refuse.

"How about lunch?"

Feeling hungry, Makoto rubs her stomach. "Hmm... maybe I'll take you up on that..."

As the pair reach the corner, Minako leads to the right and towards the food, just missing a figure that's on his way to the arcade to check into some rumors he's heard about some real babes hanging out there lately.

During the lunch hour at the Tsukino house, Usagi introduces Hotaru to her parents as the whole group eats. Shingo, encouraged by his sister and now his parents to get out and "enjoy" his winter break, decides to go with Hotaru to the arcade. Once the pair of gamers have left, Ikuko asks her daughter about the mysterious bag by her side.

"This? Oh, it's just something a friend of mine picked out for me..."

"Really?" Kenji asks skeptically, thinking it might be something inappropriate in the bag. Much to his relief, Usagi pulls out the contents and shows her parents... who marvel at what they see.

"You say your friend bought this for you?"

"Of course, mom... she has a lot of money!" Usagi says firmly.

Feeling the silk sleeves with his finger, Kenji knows that must be true. "I'll say..."

"Well, at least you won't freeze at night wearing that... and it is very pretty" Ikuko says while admiring the design.

"True and thanks mom- I'm going to go upstairs and relax"

"We'll see you at dinner then" Kenji says as his daughter departs. He turns to look at his wife and smiles. "Looks like Usagi's making more friends... and is helping Shingo out as well. Hotaru seemed like a nice person, quiet, shy... but also intensely into video games..."

"Just like Shingo" Ikuko adds. "We'll have to have her over again sometime..."

On a collision course with destiny, another figure heads towards the arcade as well, feeling cold, hungry, and dejected about her current situation, she's ready to snap any minute...

Unaware of the danger heading towards them... or the danger already present in the arcade, Shingo and Hotaru enter the arcade together and talk about what game to play first. Shingo, wanting to win versus Hotaru, suggests some games that he has experience playing. For her part, Hotaru goes along with the first round of suggestions, not wanting to look to eager to play, to keep the look of "inexperience", even though she has played almost every game here.

After a few rounds, Hotaru notices something out of the corner of her eye, a man walking around, looking for something... or someone. His attention seems to be focus only on women, Hotaru notes between rounds as she fights against Shinji playing various games, including Street Fighter...

"Gotcha!" Shingo says gleefully as Hotaru loses her first match since they walked into the arcade 15 minutes ago. Slightly dismayed, Hotaru sighs aloud. "I'm not that good at these fighting games... sometimes all you need to win is just button smashing"

"True... but I was using combos, not just random button smashing..."

"I'll be back in a minute... I'm going to get something to drink"

"Okay..." is Shingo's reply as he pops in another coin and plays another round, this time versus the computer. Hotaru takes this chance to walk over to the vending machine near the door and get some refreshments... and to check out the character she saw floating around the arcade. Surprisingly, she mentally notes, he's nowhere to be found. 'Where'd he go? I didn't hear the door open... or feel a gust of wind from the outside...'

Once she's grabbed a can of tea, Hotaru peeks outside, still looking for the mystery man. Instead she finds a hooded figure standing outside the arcade, covered in snow...

"How dare you almost run me over! Charm Buster!"

Hotaru has a bad flashback after hearing those words... and seeing a wave of what appears to be stars flying out from the hooded woman at a car... which skids off the road and hits a lamppost, catching on fire.

"Oh my goodness..." Hotaru says to herself, suddenly remembering who this could be. "Mimette? I better call the others!"

Quickly, Hotaru ducks around the corner and calls the other Senshi, indicating that there is an emergency situation out in front of the arcade. The sound of an explosion in the background only increases the Senshi of Saturn's anxiety and worry over what's going on.

"I have no idea how she's even alive from what you told me... but it's her, I recognize her voice and the attack. Please hurry!"

The other Senshi reply that they are on their way and start rushing over to the arcade. In the meantime, Hotaru takes out her transformation pen and transforms into Sailor Saturn in the alley, out of sight of the passers by who are now running away from the crazy lady...

'She's going to hurt or kill someone, I've got to stop her! Waiting for the others could cause others to get hurt in the meantime...'

Summoning her courage, Sailor Saturn prepares for battle. Grabbing her glaive firmly, she steps out of the alley into the street and addresses Mimette.

"Stop right where you are!"

Hearing a familiar voice behind her, Mimette turns around and comes face to face with Sailor Saturn. "Huh? Do I know you?" Rubbing her eyes, Mimette does a double take and tries to remember why that voice sounds familiar.

"I'm Sailor Saturn and in the name of Saturn I order you to stop" Saturn lowers her glaive and points it right at her opponent. "I saw you attack that car... and it sounded like you just made some other things explode in the last minute, too. I won't have you harming innocent people!"

"Innocent people? Two times I was almost run over... and then I was covered in snow!" the exhausted and angry Mimette replies. "After spending three years inside a TV, I'm hungry, cold, tired... and not going to take it anymore!" Raising her staff, Mimette prepares to strike again.

Before Saturn can react, Mimette uses her Charm Buster attack and shoots the stars at her, clipping her right shoulder.

"That hurt you know..." the now mad Senshi replies back, noticing that her opponent's reflexs have greatly increased since the last time she saw her.

"Come any closer and I'll attack again" the former Death Buster warns.

This time, Saturn moves forward, taking care to walk right into an ice patch, which causes her to slip and slide towards Mimette while dodging her 2nd attack.

'She went on the ice on purpose, clever girl...' Mimette thinks while drawing her staff back into a defensive position to block the glaive that's coming right at her. A clanging sound can be heard as the two weapons meet and both women struggle for dominance. Several seconds go by before Saturn remembers one of the tricks she was taught while playing fighting games and implements it, pulling away a little but still keeping on the attack- feigning a retreat momentarily. The tactic works and the glaive slices dangerously close to Mimette... barely missing her body but splitting the ragged sweater she's wearing right open, exposing her body to the cold winter air.

"AIEEE! It's cold!" Looking down, Mimette sees another problem- her exposed cleavage. "My sweater... shirt... and bra are all torn! You'll pay for that- I'm not out here to be giving fanservice you know!"

Saturn blushes after hearing that, realizing she's just embarrassed her opponent... and probably made her even more angry.

'Please hurry up and get here everybody!"

End chapter 9B.


End file.
